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    E-MAILS TO THE EDITOR:

    The Laguna Journal welcomes your e-mails/Letters to the Editor. 

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    Dear Editor:

     

    Insane Taxation 
     
    I was not alone when I watched the televised presidential debates. One common comment during them by Barak Obama was the pledge "No tax increases on the middle class". The seats we not even warm for the sitting of the 111th Congress House of Representatives when the pledge was broken. The economy is weak, people are loosing jobs and times in general are hard and the first thing from this new Congress is a TAX INCREASE? Who in the world is more out of touch then these people? Historical low poll numbers for Congress shout loudly about actions like this. Will the new President be a man of his word and veto this proposal? 
     
    The US Senate will debate a revamp of the SCHIP Federal Insurance plan for children and the poor soon. But in some cases being poor can mean making up to $82,000 a year and still have coverage. Partially paying for this all is a proposed 61cent per pack federal excise tax increase. This means a $6.10 per carton increase on all cigarettes. In some areas, a carton already is close to $80.00! Insanity! 
     
    Here we go again. 
     
    It is beginning to look like government has taken on the tactics of the very people they love to hate and put in prison, drug dealers. 
     
    Isn't it the nature of drug dealers to keep raising the price of their product, after their consumer has gained an "appreciation" of it, to insane levels? Welcome to America in the new millennium, a nanny scolding state that treat the freedom to smoke and smokers like toxic waste. Smokers should be among the most celebrated groups around because they are paying a higher percentage of YOUR bills! 
     
    Prisons are built to protect good people from the bad, as it should be. But what happens when the policy makers act like criminals and tax at a criminal level? Where are the prisons for them and who will put them there? This behavior is wrong on so many levels. But who will slam on the brakes? What happens when the poor, the ones who struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads, get smacked by every taxing authority above them by never ending "feel good" and healthful excise tax increases on tobacco? Too much of this kind of health is a hazard to it. Shall we just quit playing with words and tell it like it is? This is a QUIT SMOKING DAMN IT! tax proposal. Where is free will in all of this? 
     
    Every July 4th we as a nation celebrate Independence day, a day to remember the freedoms America affords, if you can afford them. Freedom means very little if lawmakers on ALL levels say your free but pass laws and levy taxes that squeeze you till you have little choice but to live their version of your life. Government spends fast and loose and if things get tight, they hit up smokers first. And if you don't like it, quit! 
     
    A government for the people? Smokers say "With friends like this, who needs enemies?" 
     
    Your US Senator Needs to hear for you soon! 
     
    Dave Pickrell 
    President and founder 
    Smokers Fighting Discrimination, Inc. 
    A not for profit organization 
    P O Box 5472 
    Katy, TX 77491 
    Phone: 281-347-8780 Eve 713-977-2456 Day 
    Email: sfdsmoke@hal-pc.org 
     
    SFD is 100% grassroots funded 
     
    Pickrell has been an unpaid activist for the fair treatment of smokers since 1993 and a crusader against the use of junk science in public policy matters. 
     
    "We need to again put God first in this Nation. His truth, His Integrity and His sense of fairness if we are to survive." 
     
    Dave Pickrell 

     

    Dear Editor:

    Palin has recently stated that being mayor of Wasilla “wasn’t rocket science.” We can perhaps take that comment in the humble spirit it was intended, understanding that, with the exception of Cheney, Vice Presidents are often electoral window-dressing, and unless The Unthinkable happens, are not required to do much.

     

    But looking closely at Sarah’s time as mayor reveals a lack of skill. Palin’s prime legacy as mayor, a huge sports complex, was built on land that the city didn’t quite own. Rather than buy the land at the time that it was first offered, Palin’s administration allowed developer Gary Lundgren to snap it up. Then Wasilla rather clumsily tried to seize the land through eminent domain, and went to court over the matter. Purchase costs plus court costs set the city ofWasilla back a good 1.7 million, all for land that could have been purchased for one-tenth that cost. Indeed, to this day, the city of Wasilla  is still paying for this boondoggle, with higher taxes and service cutbacks.

     

    One may ask why am I making such a big deal about something Sarah did as Mayor? Well, because she has spoken so highly of her executive experience, so it seems fair to hold it to the test. Sarah’s successor claims something similar, that running the town of Wasilla  is “like running the country.” 

     

    Sarah Palin is a conservative. She believes in small government, and believes that government’s chief job is to get out of the way of the American people and not to burden people with taxes and regulations. She probably doesn’t lose sleep at night over her poor financial judgment as mayor because conservatives tend to believe that markets will work themselves out, and that as long as taxes are low, we can be quite sure that things will balance out in the long run. Similarly, I doubt if Sarah is much bothered by her comment that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had to be bailed out because they had, "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers." This comment is 100 % incorrect. Freddie and Fannie are not taxpayer funded, but operate as private companies. Indeed, the opposite of what Sarah said is true. Now that the government has to bail them out, they will become a taxpayer burden. I doubt if conservative Sarah-watchers are bothered by her abysmal ignorance on a topic that will cost us billions. Even with today’s revelation that Mortgage giant Lehman Brothers might founder, having been hit by a wave of sell-offs Tuesday that reduced its equity by half. Such issues, while costing the average taxpayer dearly, are really not going to trouble the conservative mindset.

     

    There is a great deal of money to be made while government looks the other way. The Enron debacle happened because government stopped watching, stopped regulating. The Iraq War happened because we stopped demanding that Congress check the power of the President and to make sure that the claims of WMD’s was not a fabrication. These debacles cost the taxpayers billions.

     

    Yet we tend to base our electoral choices on personalities. Right now, Sarah Palin is considered a compelling figure and role model. Her policies do not interest us much. That’s because as Americans, we tend to believe that over time, all politicians become crooked, start accepting bribes and aren’t worth anything. That’s why we like the idea of a Washington full of fresh faces.

     

    Since the Reagan Revolution, Americans have been carefully tutored that government is the enemy. This belief has served the wealthiest among us very well. During such time, the average worker’s wages have stagnated, and during such time, the idea that a household of four could survive on a single income, with the wife staying home to raise the kids, that ideal has gone from the norm to an unaffordable luxury. During such time, it has become the norm for those of us who suffer catastrophic illness to lose pretty much everything.

     

    The idea that less government is good has a romantic quality to it. We enjoy the idea that as individuals, we can make our own way, pay our own way, and don’t need government to pay for things. We enjoy our ignorance of the fact that every major road we drive on was built by government. Community colleges and State Universities, are a product of government, and until their funding was slashed, were proud institutions. The G.I. Bill, one of the most successful tools for reintegrating vets into society, was a massive government expenditure. Every time you buy a car that runs as advertised, purchase an insurance policy that pays out, buy a home that doesn’t leak or fall apart, you have government to thank, agencies that can slap huge fines on dishonest industries that openly lie about what they sell. Every time you put money in a bank, you can be sure it will be there later, because the government guarantees it. If the economy tanks further and you lose your job and home, you won’t have to live on the street because the government guarantees a minimum income for those of us hit by hard times, and government forces employers to pay into a fund so that we citizens get a little something, should the worst happen to us. You think employers do that because they have big hearts? No. They do it because the government forces them to.

     

    America has enjoyed a long period of unprecedented wealth and unchallenged world power. But today, foreign banks own a larger piece of our country than ever before. This happened because government looked the other way. The Feds refused to regulate the buying and selling of entities that were the business of all of us.  McCain and Palin believe that America ’s hard times will end soon on their own, that all we need is a little perseverance, an little positive thinking, a good shot in the arm of optimism. That’s why, If you look at McCain’s platform on any issue at all, he promises to do very little except cut taxes. This is not the type of leadership we need.

    Peppi Omapas  pomapas@yahoo.com

     

    Dear Editor:

    So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
    last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

    SARAH PALIN

    I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
    Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
    first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
    father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
    first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
    City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
    residents of the city.

    She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
    girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
    won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
    she is a “babe”.

    It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
    kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
    for seven months.

    She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
    There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

    She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

    She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
    there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

    Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
    champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
    sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
    work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
    so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
    major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
    like that of native Alaskans.

    Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

    She’s smart.

    Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
    (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
    670,000 residents.

    During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
    this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
    pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
    gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
    given rise to a recall campaign.

    Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
    years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
    33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
    City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
    (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
    regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
    promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
    benefited residents.

    The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
    weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
    money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
    with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
    the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
    she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
    new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
    multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
    of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
    still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
    involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
    community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
    would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
    could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

    While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
    redecorated more than once.

    These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

    As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
    in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
    make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
    proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

    In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
    recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
    she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
    surplus, borrow for needs.

    She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
    or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
    her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
    basis of who proposed them.

    While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
    City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
    the library some books that Sarah wanted removed (MY NOTE:  Stephen

    King books and some books about evolution, I believe.). City residents
    rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
    attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
    her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
    Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

    Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
    Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
    fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
    Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
    creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
    grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
    to further her personal agenda,
    as she has acknowledged happened in the
    case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

    As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
    her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
    cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
    and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
    an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
    fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
    for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
    contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
    later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
    replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
    for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
    her support.

    She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
    help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
    introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
    became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
    abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
    like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

    Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
    publicly about her.

    When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
    the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
    of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
    background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
    job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
    high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
    structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
    Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
    engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
    undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
    her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
    garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
    gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
    exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

    As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
    Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
    politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
    nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

    As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
    guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
    projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
    action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
    because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
    she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

    She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
    leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
    them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
    fiscal conservative.

    Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
    They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
    predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
    stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
    point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
    mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
    experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

    As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
    of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
    to the beat of her drum.

    Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
    Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
    global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
    initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
    pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
    state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
    lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
    bears as threatened species.

    McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
    heartbeat away from being President.

    There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
    knowledgeable and experienced than she.

    However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
    regretting it.

    CLAIM VS FACT
    •”Hockey mom”: true for a few years
    •”PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
    school, not since
    •”NRA supporter”: absolutely true
    •social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
    that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
    (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
    •pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
    promote it.
    •”Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
    BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
    legislation
    •”Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
    residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
    No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
    supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
    administrator to run town of about 5,000.
    •political maverick: not at all
    •gutsy: absolutely!
    •open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
    explaining actions.
    •has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
    •”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
    and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
    •fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
    •pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
    without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
    streets to early 20th century standards.
    •pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
    residents
    •pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
    government in Wasilla’s history.
    •pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
    doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
    that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

    Anne Kilkenney

    Dear Editor:

    Hello everyone,
    As you know I am not a very  political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to 'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened.

    He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.

    As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the Clam Shell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.

    So really he was just here to make a showing for th e American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

    We got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheer leaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

    If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

    In service,
    CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
    Battle Captain
    TF Wasatch
    American Soldier

     

    Dear Editor:

     

    During his visit to Mexico this week,  Senator McCain should meet with the Mexican people who work with the human rights group Witness for Peace. Then he would talk with some of the more than two million small farmers who have been displaced since NAFTA or with the nearly 270,000 Mexicans whose NAFTA-created factory jobs have moved to Asia. Then he will hear the stories of indigenous communities in southern Mexico where no working age people remain - they all have made the dangerous journey to look for work in the U.S.
     
     
    If he met those brave people and heard those tragic stories, he would realize that NAFTA has harmed the vast majority of Mexicans, as well as working people in the U.S. He'd learn that our trade policy has led to more desperation, which has driven more immigration to the U.S. He would also learn why the "Merida Initiative" is the wrong way to address coca cultivation and distribution and will lead to greater human rights abuses.
     
     
    The next President of the United States needs to rethink U.S. trade policy, beginning with a renegotiation of NAFTA.

    See: http://www.witnessforpeace.org
     

    Dear Editor:

    THANKS TO THE JOURNAL THIS VERY TROUBLING STORY IS GETTING OUT. THIS IS WHAT IS COMING INTO THE COUNTRY BRINGING PROSTITUTION AND MAKING INCREDIBLE AMOUNTS OF MONEY THROUGH PEOPLE SMUGGLING AND DRUG SMUGGLING. THIS MONEY IS USED TO BY UP AMERICAN LAND AND BUSINESSES AND TO PUT IN AND LOBBY FOR CANDIDATES OF THEIR OWN MEXICAN ETHNICITY TO HELP IN THE RECONQUISTA AND THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR NATION:

    THIS IS A  MUST SEE VIDEO:  LISTEN TO HIS WORDS: "BEHEADING A LITTLE GIRL FOR RESISTING RAPE AND LEAVING HER BEHEADED BODY WITH THE OTHER GIRLS." THIS IS WHAT IS COMING FROM MEXICO; THIS IS WHY YOU CANNOT DETACH HOMELAND SECURITY FROM OUR UNSECURED BORDER.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRGC4KCt2s0

    THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALL OVER THE MEDIA! WHY ISN'T IT? WHY ARE THEY HIDING THIS?

    I HOPE ALL THE JOURNAL'S READERS WILL SEND THIS OUT TO ALL YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND ELECTED OFFICIALS.  THIS MUST STOP. WE MUST CLOSE OUR BORDER IF NECESSARY WITH  MEXICO AND PUT OUR MILITARY ON IT NOW!
     

    Dear Editor:

    Mr. Webster, 
     
    In reading your article about the horrors encountered by Americans in Mexico, I have changed my mind about the fence. 
    I think perhaps cages would be more appropriate. It is unconscionable that this is happening to citizens of this country and that the corruption is spilling over into our nation. What is more unthinkable is that our President, rather than even mentioning what is going on, smiles and throws a Cinco de Mayo fiesta at the White House. I often think we live in a parallel universe 
    from this administration. It was not the first to close its eyes to the creeping destruction of this country, but after 9/11, it should have been the last. Our borders should have been sealed and a moratorium declared on all immigration. Illegal aliens should be deported. The United States WILL survive. But if it is to survive as our forefathers wanted, we must put into office those 
    who have our interests at heart. I am constantly amazed at those who seek to bring us down to the level of those who disregard our laws as their first crime. Then, by presenting false documents, names, IDs and Social Security numbers, they become felons. 
    Yet, our politicians rush to award them our most precious birthright - citizenship. 
     
    I've lived a long time, but surely there are those in Washington who must recall the bracero program. They were temporary workers who did seasonal jobs then went home. Period. Now, the bleeding hearts and open borders fanatics can't be satisfied with this, 
    They insist we hand out the whole enchilada, and not only to the lawbreakers, but to their large extended families. 
     
    My 4th great-grandfather, who fought with the South Carolina Militia in the Revolutionary War, would not be very happy that I just saw in my local market products that are entirely in Spanish. I am saddened that this is what I am leaving to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and I hope they know I fought for them. 
     
    Thank you for keeping us informed. 
     
    June Venable 
    bjven52@verizon.net   

    Dear Editor:

    Dear Mr. Webster,

                 Upon review of numerous articles on the rising of kidnappings in Mexico, I find your articles and experience to be the most helpful while contemplating if we should travel and outsource much of our operations (telecommunications company) to Hermosillo, Sonora in Mexico.  To be more specific, the company we would be outsourcing to is Vangtel, the newest member to their parent company, The Offshore Group (www.vangtel.com). Although most of the abductions seem to happen around the borders, you specifically mention Hermosillo by stating 70+ drug trafficking related executions have occurred there between 1/07-7/07 (American Chronicle…article 59356).

     Again, with all of your experience as an investigative reporter and being a world renowned expert on globlal economics, illicit drugs, and terrorism, I would be honored with any of your opinions, suggestions, and or comments you may offer on this company and/or the risk/safety factor of doing business in Hermosillo.

     Sincerely, Rune Johnson Rjohnson@aninetworks.com

    Dear Editor:

    > Hi Michael,
    >
    > You have written -- by far -- the best article on the LAPD Home Invasion ring.
    > I'm looking for someone that has followed the case and has some additional
    > details about how the robberies were conducted and how the ring organized
    > themselves and profited.
    >
    > I saw your article here:
    > http://www.borderfirereport.net/michael-webster/another-so.cal-police-officer-
    > sentenced-in-the-wake-of-rampart-corruption-scandal.html
    >
    > Please let me know if you have additional details or articles about the case.
    > Thank you.
    >
    > Glen glen@newsreeltv.com

    Yes, Glen here you'll find more info: Rampart scandal

    Dear Editor:

    Thank you for the very interesting coverage of border security issues.  I am deployed with Operation Border Star working in a Joint Operations Intelligence Center and use your articles to aid me in my daily work.  Often, I have been able to get the "Big Picture" by comparing your news articles and other sources available to me.  Keep up the great work!

    Respectfully,

    KENNETH D. JOHNSON
    MAJOR,CA,TXSG
    OIC OBS V (EL PASO)


    kenneth.d.johnson@us.army.mil  
    kenneth.johnson@txsg.state.tx.us
     

    Dear Editor:

    Dear Michael:

     

    If Not But for... Rense.com.... I would not have been privileged to yet another of your magnificent reports -- Great Work!!  Where the hell is the MSM on this?  Or maybe I should say Lame Stream Media, as it is known?
     
    Way up here in Montana, we too are experiencing some of the invasion, and all that goes with it. 
    Yet, I must say -- for the most part, I really like the Latin People -- and wish, at times, I were in Margaritaville -- as we fondly refer to it from the infamous Jimmy Buffett song.  Yes, this pristine little island lies just off the coast of another of our soon-to-be enemies -- Venezuela. 
     
    Damn --- what  friggin mess we have created for ourselves -- speaking as a former combat 'air-cavalry' scout helicopter pilot in VN (Custer's Alma Matta) and later -- attack helicopter test pilot -- tough decidedly "not" a military man -- as in " we're kicking ass" -- and "Bring em On" --  God, how stupid!
     
    Oh well.... thanks for your continued efforts toward "awakening" the slumbering masses.
     
    Take care,
     
    George Ackerson  george@safermedicalinc.com

    Dear Editor:

    Dear Mr. Webster,
     
    You totally fail to answer the question of "why" Bush won't shut down our Southern Border and stop the 5,000 to 10,000 illegal aliens (not "immigrants", by the way) from breaking into the U.S. every day. The answer is as plain as the nose on your face:
     
    Bush is a globalist sell-out traitor. As he demonstrated recently by trying to block the execution of an illegal alien Mexican murderer in Texas by siding with the Socialist One Worlder UN Court, he wants no part of nationalism or patriotism to tarnish his treasonous acts. The Border stays open because it's all part of his NAU plan to merge Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.
     
    How you missed that, I have no idea.
     
    Sincerely,
     
    David Levin levin_david@msn.com

    Dear Editor:

    Hi Michael,
    
    Thanks for that great article! Even as somebody who is living in Cd.
    Juarez I learned some new details from it.
    
    Though there is something that surprises me. You most likely know that
    the EPIC (El Paso Intelligence Center), the office that coordinates
    all US efforts against drug smuggling and dealing, is located just
    about 3-4 miles from the border, on Biggs Airfield, Fort Bliss, El
    Paso, TX.
    
    There neighborhood should be a deterrent to drug dealers, shouldn't
    it? Unless...
    
    Hope to read something about it in your next article.
    
    Uwe ubrunjes@gmail.com 
    

    Dear Editor:

    Dear Michael, 
    
    I just read an article you wrote on Santiago Vasconcelos the head of the federal 
    anti-organized crime unit known as SIEDO on February of 2008.  We just got 
    called that my uncle Jesus Hernandez from Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico was kidnapped 
    last night.  I don't know much about the capture but I do know that he owns a 
    bar right by the border of El Paso. I visited with him two years ago and by what 
    I witnessed he had a close connection with the police officers (at least some of 
    them).  His wife, who he is currently seperated from him and lives in Seattle, 
    Washington phoned my uncle to inform him about the news.  I have tried to get 
    some sort of information or who I can contact in Juarez to see if my uncle has 
    been detained by the police in Juarez.  We really need your help, anything you 
    can do would be greatly appreciated.  I don't have that many resources but if 
    you could point me in the right direction I could take it from there. 
    
    PLEASE HELP US!!
    
    Veronica Calderon vcalderon5@ca.rr.com 
      
    Dear Editor:

    Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

    Mr. Webster

    Your article, “U.S. Military Being Sent to the Border with Mexico”, is inaccurate and contains erroneous data that was taken out of context from the information that was provided by Gen Renuart to El Paso Times Journalist, Chris Roberts, during the commander's recent visit to Joint Task Force North, based at Fort Bliss, Texas.

    The article is erroneous when it states that a special U.S. Military Task Force has been created to protect our southern border with Mexico; no such special task force has been created.  In addition, the information pertaining to the F-22 Raptors and AWACs is also erroneous -- these aircraft are not conducting patrols over the southern border under the auspices of USNORTHCOM.

    As an element of U.S. Northern Command, Joint Task Force North, established in 1989, continues to provide homeland security support to the federal law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility, to include both borders and within the Continental United States.  Mission focus, counter-drug and narco-terrorism support to the Primary Federal agency tasked with boarder security due to unique capabilities that exist within the U.S. Armed Forces.

    In addition, the National Guard continues to provide support to the U.S. Border Patrol as part of Operation Jump Start, in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico. The National Guard is helping to secure the southern border by providing surveillance, construction, and logistics support to the U.S. Border Patrol.

    Please contact me if you would like further clarification or visit www.northcom.mil for correct information on the command.  You have done your audience a disservice in disseminating erroneous information.

    v/r
    Mr. Michael Kucharek, YC-2
    Chief of Current Operations (Media Relations and Web Management)
    NORAD and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs
    w: 719.554.9618
    c: 719.330.5136
    michael.kucharek@northcom.mil

    Mr. Kucharek: 

    I don't normally feel the need to explain or give reasons for my articles and sources. As I've been an investigative reporter for over 35 years. Your e-mail got my attention due to the actuations it contains. So in the interest of my readers and more accuracy in journalism I respond in hopes that you and/or your dept can develop into a reliable source for me for many of the same matters we are addressing here and so I can be more accurate lets keep the channel of communications open. More often than not when I try to contact someone at the DOD they do not come to the phone and often don't return my calls. So hopefully we can develop a professional relationship in the interest of truth. I would hope that in the future the General and his staff would contact all the media in the area not just his favorite. After reading the article you refer to I contacted some of my sources at Ft. Bliss, FBI and DEA these contacts verified the general information in my story. We also have reports from citizens that claim they are seeing Rapters flying on or near the border with Mexico. I myself have seen Awax aircraft in and around the El Paso and other areas. I have also talked with troops who say they have been working near the border. Your taking issue with the headline of the story is interesting in as much as most folks in the media understand editors write most of them.

    You say that the article is erroneous when it states that a special U.S. Military Task Force has been created to protect our southern border with Mexico; no such special task force has been created.  Yet in the very next paragraph you flatly state in your e-mail “As an element of U.S. Northern Command, Joint Task Force North, established in 1989, continues to provide homeland security support to the federal law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility, to include both borders and within the Continental United States.  Mission focus, counter-drug and narco-terrorism support to the Primary Federal agency tasked with boarder security due to unique capabilities that exist within the U.S. Armed Forces”.

    You go on to say “In addition, the information pertaining to the F-22 Raptors and AWACs is also erroneous -- these aircraft are not conducting patrols over the southern border under the auspices of USNORTHCOM”. You should know, so tell me if USNORTHCOM is not doing it than what air force division is? As I stated above many citizens are reporting seeing them. So if you truly feel there are erroneous statements in the article or any in the future you can help me avoid that by you and other U.S. Government departments by responding to my questions. Your charge of the article in question as being taken out of context, inaccurate and contains erroneous data is false. And I stand behind my article.

    So lets take this opportunity to give the General a chance to accurately reply to his following statement and please tell us what he is referring to: Renuart, who visited Joint Task Force-North, which is under his command, declined to discuss any details of threats uncovered along the border with Mexico, but he said many agencies, including JTF-North, have made "it a very difficult border for someone to take advantage of." My questions are: 1. What threats uncovered along the border with Mexico he was referring to? And 2. What agencies including JTF-North, have made "it a very difficult border for someone to take advantage of?" And 3. In what way have they made it very difficult?

    Please contact me should you have any further issues and please provide what you can that is true and timely information on what USNORTHCOM is actually doing or not doing.

    Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter:

    Dear Editor:

    F-22's are laden with very sophisticated sensors which broadcast to a Network Centric control point for sharing in real-time whatever is being observed. The F-22 pilot, free to just fly, doesn't have to work the sensors on his aircraft as they are communicating to and receiving updated information from the control center.

    All the pilot has to do is fly a proficiency training mission over areas which intelligence and control center personnel deem worthy of observing.

    Stevejet

    Dear Editor:

    Dear Michael:

    I'm writing on behalf of Robert Rosenkranz to invite you to attend, and possibly cover, the next Intelligence Squared US debate on April 15, 2008.   

    The topic will be “Islam is dominated by radicals” and will feature Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Paul Marshall and Asra Q. Nomani. speaking for the motion, and Reza Aslan, Richard W. Bulliet and Edina Lekovic, speaking against it.  The debate will be moderated by Robert Siegel. 

    Intelligence Squared is a series of Oxford-style debates that aim to raise the level of discourse on serious topics. The debates take place before a live audience, which is asked to vote on the question at hand both before and after the debate takes place.

    Previous debates have featured such notable names as Liz Cheney, Natan Sharansky, Nadine Strossen, Daniel Ayalon, Michael Crichton and Christopher Hitchens, among many others. Motions debated have included "Global warming is not a crisis" and "Better more domestic surveillance than another 9/11," among others.

    The debates are held at Asia Society and Museum,

    725 Park Avenue
    at 70th Street in New York City . The event begins at 6:00 p.m.; the debate begins at 6:45 p.m. and ends promptly at 8:30 p.m.

    Please let me know at your earliest convenience if you can attend. We'll be happy to reserve a seat for you and provide access to the panelists.

    Best Regards,

     

    Karol Sheinin ksheinin@weisergroup.com

    Dear Editor:

    Renuart's quote "who visited Joint Task Force-North, which is under his command, declined to discuss any details of threats uncovered along the border with Mexico, but he said many agencies, including JTF-North, have made "it a very difficult border for someone to take advantage of." That would explain why there have been recent reports of U.S. military being seen on the border".

    He is blowing sunshine up our posteriors!

    The risk is not a military attack and it has not been ever since we sent General Blackjack Pershing after Poncho Villa almost 100 years ago.

    The risk is infiltration by terrorists who will camouflage themselves among the thousands of illegal immigrants who our government allows to cross our borders anonymously every night. How is a squadron of F-22 Raptors going to have any impact on this risk? When these terrorists eventually attack, their deeds likely will not be anywhere close to the border.

    These guys are going to sit on their base waiting for an attack that is never going to happen.

    This is just another example of the government pretending like they are taking action when in fact they are doing everything possible to keep the border open and the cheap labor flowing.

    If they really wanted to protect the border they would keep the National Guard deployed and they would actually give them a security mission rather than just giving them administrative duties. Instead, the Administration is withdrawing the few remaining National Guard in July.

    Regards,
    Jack jackbenimble

    Dear Editor:

    Los Zeta is a dangerous group, more reasons to close our borders. Many of them are already here, causing problems to businesses.

    I am afraid things may get worse before they get any better.

    Los Zetas

    Dear Editor:

    The military training comes in handy with the arms the Zetas carry, including 9mm weapons and infrared technology - all parts of an armory equivalent to an American SWAT team. Drug money pays for it all.

    The Zeta arsenal could make the group attractive to other groups, like al-Qaeda or the Mara Salvatruchas.

    According to one of there own jailed members during an interview with law enforcement said, “there are some of the Maras and al-Qaeda inside the organization". The phenomenon of the Maras, is a violent Central American gang that originated in Los Angeles and has become a nightmare in the region. ...

    candles

    Dear Editor:

    The article seemed to be focusing on the military for use against terrorist/rogue nation assault (anti-ballisitic missiles; air-air and air-ground defense; Mexican military and criminal drug caretl incursions).

    Perhaps I read it wrong but I did not get a sense that they had any intent to focus on or significantly participate in the mundane illegal alien operations of the Border Patrol.

    Use of the military in 'local disasters' is a recent Administration fiat and violates the posse comitatus restriction of our Constitution.
    __________________
     
    Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

     
    This is the way the world ends...not with a bang but a whimper. ~ t s eliot

     
    Principle is a terrible thing, because it demands not what is convenient but what is right. ~ Jonathan Turley

     
    Once we reined in government to unleash individual freedom; now we rein in the individual to unleash state power. ~ Gen LaGreca

    kaleidescope

    Dear Editor:

    Oooooooo wee, wait 'till La Raza hears about this! US military on the southern border. Long overdue. Warning to drug dealers and the Mexican Federales who back them: These folks don't shoot you in the butt with a popgun. Mess with them and it's the last thing you'll do.

    qrayjack

    Dear Editor:

    Considering the number of OTM crossing the border - this is great.

    Nothing like a few of America's finest to put the fear of God into anyone thinking about "breaking our laws".

    Considering Mexico's reputation, wouldn't be surprised to hear about a few gun battles taking place. Our military has better aim than theirs.

    Sock-it-to-them!

    L&L

    righton

    Dear Editor:

    Answer to The Maryhunter...our government is not going to do anything about it under the current regime Bush and company! The governors in each state have a lot to do with helping to stop this genocide of our people. It is up to us to stop what is occurring to our nation.
     

    First, we must vote intelligently for our next leader and not base our vote on religion, race, gender, or politics. The only one I have researched to help us, the citizens (patriots) in this devastation is Senator Barack Obama.

    If he does not win the Presidential election we will have to fight this One World Order plan by ourselves...thus the forthcoming 21st Century Revolution to bring down our current government.

    Chris the Abducted Alien

    Dear Editor:

    I guess now mainstream American will know that in addition to al-Qaeda terrorists crossing into Texas by the dozens, we now have commando-style heavily-armed foreign soldiers regularly violating our border and attacking our citizens. When will our government say enough is enough? How many American deaths will it take? Our sovereignty is violated on a regular basis. It is appalling and beyond negligent - I’d call it a severe dereliction of duty - for President Bush to ignore our border crisis.

    The Maryhunter


     

    Dear Editor:

    In recent weeks articles have appeared in the Media that the State of California is twenty billion in debt.  The word from Sacramento that taxes have to be raised or tax items that have never before been taxed, such as personal services. 

    The people of California certainly don’t need any new taxes with the economy in such bad shape, however something has to be done.

     Assemblyman Lloyd Levine introduced to the Assembly AB2026 Ca-intra-state online poker study. (would offer online poker site for those who reside in California. 

    The Governmental Organiza-tion Committee unanimously sent the bill forward to Assembly Appropriations Committee.  If a online poker site bill is passed by the State legislators the revenue would be in the millions.

    The State of California already has a Gaming Commission in place.  The state has more poker players than any other.

    Although the above will not solve the deficit, it certainly would help.  Keep in mind when the Federal issues concerning online poker are settle, and they will be.  The California Internet Poker Site could offer services to other states and the world, bringing in billions.
     

    The first state to a online poker site will have a great advantage.

    I urge all to contact their Assembly and Senators and ask for their Support of AB2026.

     Sincerely,

     William W. Grey w.grey@sbcglobal.net

    Dear Editor:

    Good morning sir!

    This is Petty Officer Brahm with the US Coast Guard. I just wanted to let you know that Nick McConnell from Laguna Beach helped save lives from the fishing vessel Alaska Ranger.

    The Coast Guard Cutter Munro is currently in port in Dutch Harbor. I have multiple numbers for the ship.

    When you get through just ask for Mr. Schrader (shray-der). He can get you in touch with whoever you need and hopefully they can get you a photo as well.

    Here are the phone numbers to the Coast Guard Cutter Munro in Dutch Harbor.

    907-581-9898/5634/5448/5370

    If you want to contact me for any reason feel free too.

    907-487-5700
     

    Dear Editor:

    Answer to The Maryhunter...our government is not going to do anything about it under the current regime Bush and company! The governors in each state have a lot to do with helping to stop this genocide of our people. It is up to us to stop what is occurring to our nation.
     

    First, we must vote intelligently for our next leader and not base our vote on religion, race, gender, or politics. The only one I have researched to help us, the citizens (patriots) in this devastation is Senator Barack Obama.

    If he does not win the Presidential election we will have to fight this One World Order plan by ourselves...thus the forthcoming 21st Century Revolution to bring down our current government.

    Chris the Abducted Alien

    Dear Editor:

    I guess now mainstream American will know that in addition to al-Qaeda terrorists crossing into Texas by the dozens, we now have commando-style heavily-armed foreign soldiers regularly violating our border and attacking our citizens. When will our government say enough is enough? How many American deaths will it take? Our sovereignty is violated on a regular basis. It is appalling and beyond negligent - I’d call it a severe dereliction of duty - for President Bush to ignore our border crisis.

    The Maryhunter

    Dear Editor:

    I'd like to tell you about the travesty of justice that I experience with the California justice system and the sham I believe the bar is. I'll start at the beginning. I met a man, a property invester who I will refer to as BA, I did some work for BA and we became friends and over the course of fifteen years we flew airplanes, traveled and bought properties together among other things. We traveled to Thailand alot and BA built some condos there of which I bought one from him. In the year 2000 a property came up that I liked. It was a small strip mall with about 150 storage units and a small managers house. So I sold my house got together all the money I had and invested in the property. BA and I signed a short one page agreement saying I would manage the property and BA would basicly do the legal end. This was good since BA was a law professor from Canada and also owned ten other facilities and is worth 15 million dollars.

    Meanwhile I had invented a hook to use on Bungee cords. If you ever used a bungee cord you know that they never fit anywhere you want them to fit. With this hook that I call Bungee Adjuster the bungee cords fit anywhere. Everyone liked the Bungee Adjuster. So I called some manufacturer's to get a price to manufacture the Bungee Adjuster. The price was forbiding by the time it hit the retail market the price would be so high no one would buy the Bungee Adjuster. So I thought I would see how much it would cost to manufacture in Thailand. To my surprise the manufacture and shipping was about 10% of the U.S. price to manufacture. I now knew why all the big business's were going overseas.

    So its Christmas eve night 2004. I'm at BA's home. I'm tired and wanting to go to bed. On my mind is about going to Thailand the next day to work out a deal to manufacture the Bungee Adjuster. Not thinking I had any reason to distrust BA a friend of fifteen years I signed a paper that I didn't read. After I was lead to believe it was and insurance application. BA slipped it by me real quick like when I'm on my way out ready to go to bed next door. Signing this agreement happened so quick I didn't even remember signing it. I later found out it was a one sided agreement saying that I owned 25% of the business, BA owned 74% of the business and a Texas corporation owned 1% of the business. The agreement said that if any two partners got together they could expel the other partner for no reason at a cheap buyout price. Well I'm one partner, BA is another partner and, who is this Texas corp. that owns 1%? It just happens to be BA's corp. owned by BA with his daughter as president. Now BA can get together with BA and throw me out when ever. Then BA gives me a notice saying essentialy nice doing business with you and we are buying you out at about one fourth of your worth. I had no idea what BA was talking about. I didn't work the place five years to be bought out when BA felt like it. I didn't pay him any attention and I went back to work. About three weeks later I'm served an eviction notice. Get out of the managers house where I lived and worked for five years. BA then serves a restraining order on me saying to stay out of the office. The restraining order signed under penalty of perjury said I harrassed the office manager, I was running off the good help, irrated everyone, and did untold damages to the business. I had all my money invested in this business and was not about to jeopardize it. While I managed the business it more than tripled in value. And BA said that I didn't work there. I just hung out. Never mind I got paid every year. Plus BA gave me 5% more of the business for a job well done.

    BA then filed a civil suit for breach of contract. BA then files another suit for some money I owe him on my condo. So I hired a lawyer and we file a counter suit for fraud and breach of fudicary duty to be honest.

    We then take depositions. The office manager says I did all the outside work and did a good job. As far as harrasment went her husband had a heart attack and I, doing her job, called her at the hospital three times and it bothered her. Another employee who collected the cash from the laundry and carwash, who BA said was giving me my share of the cash every week, said she never gave me a nickle and gave it all to BA or his daughter to put in a reserve account. Which means alot of money is missing. She also said I did all the outside work and did a great job. BA's daughter tried to act like she and BA ran the business while I just hung out living in the manager's house for free. But nobody could ever remember seeing her on the property in all of five years. BA tried to say he and I went over this agreement twice before. I would like to meet the person that would read this agreement three times and then sign it. Each person's deposition, including BA's, made a lier out of BA and his lawyer being there for every deposition knew it. And by the way nobody was found that I irrated. And all the good help quit within three months after I left. They all said they had no problem working for me.

    All of the depositions took about an hour. My deposition took over six hours. Starting with what did I do when I was in the U.S. Army in Viet Nam 40 years ago and onward. I didn't realize it at the time. But BA's lawyer was trying to wear me down so I would make a mistake. Then he could motion for a summary judgement ( a summary judgement basicly means I have no case so why waste the courts time and just give BA the judgement). I'm ready to go to court and I asked for a trial by jury. BA's lawyer then motions for a summary judgement on Rosenthal, some people, Rosenthal's, walked into a bank bought some securities and never read the small print was tricked and sued. What does this have to do with business partners for fifteen years and slipping a contract by me for a signature?. The judge denied the summary judgement and we are ready to go to court in a couple of weeks. This is about nine months from the start of this issue. BA then drops the restraining order and dismiss's the case. My lawyer petitions the court to put this case together with the case BA filed for the money I owe on the condo and resolve everything at once. BA then dismiss's that case. My lawyer say's I have to sue BA now to get what belongs to me. But before this happens BA and his lawyer run to a different county and filed the same case there. Knowing if I filed the case the summary denial would still be valid and BA would have to go to court. This BA would not like. In legal jargon this is called "Forum Shopping".

    We now have a new Judge in a different county. Apparently the new judge didn't care about the forum shopping or the summary denial in the other county. I sometimes wonder if it was because we were in BA's lawyer's territory since we were now in the town he practices law in and somebody maybe owed a favor.

    BA signed a fictious name statement registered in the courthouse saying the business was a general partnership. We had a bank we had to sue. BA's lawyer did the case in my name and BA's name. Nothing was said about a limited partnership or a Texas corp. BA's lawyer knew our business was a general partnership because he did all BA's legal work. But he didn't draft the document I signed Christmas eve. It would make him part of this case and he couldn't represent BA when he tried to enforce the document. Therefore BA would have to hire an honest lawyer that playes by the rules. So BA went to another lawyer to draft the document.

    Now BA shows up with a document that says our partnership was a limited partnership. The document I signed on Christmas eve night was an amendment to that document. BA said I signed this document. BA said he had the document but couldn't find it for a year and a half. But then he found it in a bank vault somewhere. It had my name on it but you can see it was not my signature. So now BA and his lawyer change tactics. My lawyer said BA had a fiduciary duty to be honest and not slip something by me for my signature. BA's lawyer now say's as a limited partner BA had no duty to be honest so why should he. So the new judge accepts that the business is a limited partnership and rejects some of my issues. This rendered my case hopeless.

    My lawyer said to go to court now would be like going to a dog and pony show. So we gave BA the judgement on a stipulation that we can go directly to appeals court. A year later we go to appeals court. BA's lawyer wrote a brief saying essentially that BA as a limited partner had no duty to be honest so why should he. I denied the whole time that the business was a limited partnership and that no Texas corp owned 1% that I knew of. The evidence pointed to a general partnership. All BA had was a document with a bogus signature that took him a year and a half to find saying the business was a limited partnership. These judges that called themselfs justicies bought into this limited partnership bunk to our dismay and denied my whole appeal. It was apparent these justices never looked over the case properly. In my honest opinion if the judges take the place of a jury they should go over the case thoroughly before rendering their judgement.

    Meanwhile I''m trying to get the bar to do something about BJ's lawyer using the court system to help BA cheat me. I looked on their webpage and it stated The State Bar’s discipline system is designed to protect the public, the courts and the profession from attorneys who violate ethical rules covering their professional conduct. Consumers with complaints about an attorney may call the bar’s toll-free number (1-800-843-9053). The Office of the Chief Trial Counsel, which is responsible for reviewing charges of lawyer misconduct, then investigates and prosecutes these complaints." So I called the bar, then I had to write them about this case that any fool could see BJ's attorney was using the court system to try and cheat me and was violating the rules of professional conduct in doing so. Rule 1.16 A lawyer shall not represent a client . (B), (1) the client persists in a course of action involving the lawyer's services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent (2) the client has used the lawyer's services to perpetrate a crime or fraud. Rule 8.44 Misconduct : (C) To engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation (D) to engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice. The bar wrote back to me saying it's out of their jurisdiction and wouldn't look at the case and to hire a lawyer and sue him. What would I sue him for but violating the rules of professional conduct? Which is the bars job to make sure no lawyer does this, so their webpage say's. Or maybe I read the webpage wrong and should of had a lawyer read it to me. So I wrote to the president of the board of govenors, he can't do anything he's not the president anymore. So I wrote to one of the govenors. It's not his job and sent me to another govenor who I never heard from.

    I then read further on their web page it said "How is the State Bar funded? The bar’s programs are financed primarily by fees paid by attorneys and applicants to practice law." I then believed I was dealing with a sham. And I knew that these people had no intention of chastizing the persons paying their saleries. I began to wonder how many people got ramed because dishonest lawyer's knew the bar would do nothing. Who are the lawyers that they can watch over themselfs? Since everyone else in this country has some government agency watching over them, why not the lawyers?

    So I wrote to governor Schwarzenegger explaining why I thought the bar is a sham and something should be done about it, he likes to hear from his constituents but it's out of his jurisdiction and I should write to the Attorney General. So I wrote to the Attorney General, the Honorable Edmond G Brown Jr., he can't do anything it's out of his jurisdiction and I should write to the bar association. Since the bar has exclusive authority to investigate and prosecute allegations of attorney misconduct. But I wasn't complaining about an attorney's misconduct. I was complaining about the Bar's misconduct. If Edmond G. Brown Jr. can't understand a simple one page letter then why is he the Attorney General?

    After three years of this and what I got in return, I'm beginning to think the whole justice system is a sham. If I had the money I'd sue the bar. But then again where would I find a lawyer that would help me sue the people protecting him? And besides that, you can't practice law if you are not a member of the bar, they might disbar anyone who tried.

    Three years of my life has been wasted, I'm out an untold amount of money. My Bungee Aduster project has been stalled till now. I believe if the bar would have done what their webpage says they are to do,their job. This wouldn't have happened.

    I guess it's true when they say " there is no justice exept for the rich." When I was in Viet Nam I was told we were fighting for for liberty and justice for all " I don't think so". This could happen to anybody!

    Yours Truely Arlen Bauer arlenb@peoplepc.com

    Dear Editor:

    Great piece the merida initiative.

    see this:


    Subject: AP: US Parents Seek Answers in Mexico Death
    To:


    US Parents Seek Answers in Mexico Death

      By JESSICA BERNSTEIN-WAX –

      http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTV-2mvkPnu1I9MvqkQbk88C71uQD8V30F6O0
     

    Jessica: Not only am I interested in  Bradley Roland Will, a 36-year-old journalist-activist from New York, who was killed in October 2006 while filming unrest in Oaxaca state, where protesters had been fighting for months to oust Gov. Ulises Ruiz for alleged electoral fraud. But am running your piece on the front page of the Laguna Journal. His family have my heart felt condolences and my concern and if I can help in any other way please let me know. M.W.
     

    Dear Editor:

     
    Dear Mr. Webster, 
     
    I always include articles about opium in my
    blog, Index on Afghanistan. 
     
    What is interesting about your article is that you do not mention the US interests in the drug trade in Afghanistan. 
     
    "Unlike their counterparts in Colombia, the terrorists in Afghanistan enjoy the benefits of a trafficker-driven economy " 
     
    WHO IN US BENEFITS FROM TRAFFICKER-DRIVEN ECONOMY? 
     
    "Those involved in the drug trade in the Middle East are as serious about their investment as their violent counterparts in countries such as Colombia, Mexico and the Golden Triangle cartels. " 
     
    WHO IN THE US IS 'SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR INVESTMENT? 
     
    Why is this subject taboo? 
     
    Thank you, 
     
    Sarah Meyer 
    Researcher, UK 
    http://indexresearch.blogspot.com 

    Sarah:
    I agree with you. I suspect and have all along that the reasons the war on drugs have totally failed is because people in high places are involved. I think the CIA, Contra, high level officials in America and around the world many benefit. How ever to prove it or to be able to have enough reliable sources is difficult at best. I direct you to
    www.lagunajournal.com (war on drugs) where you can read more of my writings on the subject. Also very important to me is if you have any details or know anyone who does, I would be very interested so keep me in mind as I'm always looking for connections that will help me do a better job for my readers. I thank you for your interest. I Remain. M.W. PS: By the way I really like England my daughter attended Oxford and she and her Mother and I who visited with her on more then one occasion all fall in love with England, Oxford, London and the country side.

     

     

    Dear Editor:

     

    Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced last week that Al-Qaeda in Baghdad had been defeated thanks to a security plan launched a year ago.  Although there continues to be violent spots in Baghdad, deaths are decreasing dramatically in Baghdad just as they have in the AnBar province.   The offensive by Iraqi troops and coalition forces in Mosul a few weeks ago against insurgents is encouraging that the Iraqi security forces are trying to rid the country of terrorists.

     

    Recent news reports have noted the success of liberating Fallujah and Ramadi, both cities previously controlled by terrorists.  I have personally listened to stories of the liberation of these cities from Marines who have fought there over the last three years.   Iraq is changing for the better and there is hope for the Iraqi people to become independent.  Change takes time.   Considering the oppression the Iraqi people have lived under for so many years, recent stories are evidence that they are making strides in controlling their own destiny.  As a mother of a Marine deployed to Iraq, I would love to see the troops come home tomorrow.  But I know that is not the best decision for Iraq, the security of the American people, and the legacy of the almost 4,000 men and women of our armed forces who lost their lives fighting the war on terror in Iraq.  

     

    I hope that the American people will continue to believe that coalition forces, led by the United States, are doing a good job leading Iraq towards self government.   Our troops are training Iraqi forces to defend themselves against insurgents.  The Middle East is a complicated region with many tribal, religious, and political factions that must be encouraged to cooperate for a peaceful existence.  This effort will take generations to evolve into a cohesive democratic existence. 

     

    But be encouraged that it is working, especially since the surge last year in Baghdad by the U. S. Army and the incredible victories in the AnBar province by the Marines.  As a personal testimony of the attitude of the Iraqi people, let me share a letter from my son (with his permission) who is serving in Iraq as a Weapons Platoon Commander:

     

    "I can thank only God for the safety of every Marine in our battalion.  Thus far, our greatest challenge has been fighting complacency and boredom.  If there were any other way to spell "victory" it would be "Al Anbar".  In nearly one year's time, I have watched attacks, improvised explosive devices (IED) and direct action attacks go from frequent to rare.  Daily, we patrol through the streets of Al  Anbar, finding no resistance.  Most of our days are spent with local civilians pointing out where the insurgents used to live before they were killed or fled.   They lead us to weapons caches, hideouts, and people who used to help insurgents.  Our job has regressed from  fighting in a war to peacekeeping.

    I have no way of describing the appreciation and heartfelt thanks the Iraqi people show us as we patrol through their towns.  For the first time in their life, they have no fear for their family's life.  They no longer fear going to the market to buy food or fuel.  They are building the foundations of democracy at the highest levels and we are watching it trickle down to the provincial and civic levels.  The young men are joining the Army and Police in larger and larger numbers.  People are participating and believing in their government. 

    I will close with a story of how I spent my unforgettable Christmas. My company was tasked with performing a ten day clearing operation into an area along the Syrian border.  We would have ten days of riding in HMMWV’s looking for smugglers, foreign fighters, and insurgent safehavens.  The average temperature at night was in the teens with the windchill.  The operation started on the 21 December, so no talking to families on Christmas.  Morale was not exactly at an all time high. 

     

    On Christmas eve, during one fo our searches of a Beduoin camp, the father of the family asked if we would stay for dinner.  Arabs being amazingly hospitable people, constantly insist on the best treatment for their guests.  If was getting dark and the Marines were exhausted, so we decided to join them.  The father ordered a fine meal (fresh lamb) be prepared.  While eating this amazingly prepared meal (it being our first hot meal in days), our interpreter told the man that it was Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ.  The man declared that the meal was in honor of Jesus Christ.  

     

    There are so many things, good and bad, that I will remember about this war.  I am glad that some of the memories will be like this one.  Every day I am here, makes me appreciate that much more the country we live in.  I am convinced, we live in the greatest country in the world."

     

    Be encouraged, fellow Americans, that we are being protected by our military who are willing to sacrifice themselves for our freedom so that the radical terrorist groups may be defeated in other countries and not allowed to attack the U.S. again.    

     

    Sincerely yours,

    Susan McConnell

    Proud mother of a Marine (deployed)

    SUSAN B. MCCONNELL

    4452 Airport Blvd., Mobile, AL  36608-2209

    251-342-3554

    Susanbmcconnell.com, aub76@aol.com

    Dear Editor:

    Your Article About ... Adult Stem Cells delivered in speech at UCLA

    Dear Editor:

    I am writing this letter at the request of the Alliance Defense Fund to ask your help on a huge project that, if successful, will impact every church in America for the better.
    As you know, churches in America are automatically exempt from federal taxation under section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS code. However, in 1954 Congress passed the so-called "Johnson amendment" conditioning tax exempt status on a requirement that churches effectively remove themselves from certain aspects of the "political" arena. The 1954 law redefined the traditional role of American churches, limiting them in their historical role as the conscience of the nation-leading the fight to end slavery, leading the fight to protect young children working in the coal mines and factories, and leading the fight for women's rights including the right to vote. Because of the threat of IRS sanctions or loss of tax exemption, most pastors today are fearful of speaking out-even in the pulpit-on the great moral and social issues of the day.
     

    We believe that the federal government is required to give tax exempt status to churches because of protections that exist in the United States Constitution. And most significantly, we believe that the IRS cannot threaten revocation of tax exempt status even if churches speak out on political and social issues relevant to voters.
     

    ADF is looking for churches that will work with them in launching a lawsuit challenging the IRS's ability to restrict churches from preaching on scripture based-"political" issues relevant to the body of Christ in the next federal election cycle. Please let ADF know if you have an interest in working with their constitutional lawyers active in the courts to return the church to its rightful place as the voice of the body of Christ on the great political and moral issues of the day.
     

    If you are interested in participating in this project, please contact ADF Chief Counsel Ben Bull at 480-388-8035, fax 480-444-0028 or email him for more information.
    Please contact ADF. I do not have more information to give.
     

    Sincerely,
     

    Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
    American Family Association

    Dear Editor:

    Thanks for taking the time to write back.

    What do you think about Michael Ruppert’s findings about the CIA’s involvement in using cocaine sales to finance the Iran-Contra affair?

    What about allegations coming out of Russia today that the United States is involved in drug traffic from Afghanistan?  Obviously taking it with a grain of salt given the source, yet at the same time being open minded about how drug money can be used to finance covert operations.

    http://en.rian.ru/world/20080213/99134070.html

    David

    Iran-Contra secret war was covered at the time by our investigative reporter Michael Webster, well it was happening during the Reagan admenistration. If you are aware of any new developments we would be interested in hearing them. As far as the allegations coming out of Russia today that the United States is involved in drug trafficking from Afghanistan we are very interested and please tell us more and lead us to where we can found out more of the details and facts. So the Journal can share it with our readers. James Fine editor: Laguna Journal
     


     

     
     
     
  • tony Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
    February 13th, 2008 at 10:14 pm

    Did the church ever need to seek permission from the government to be exempt from taxes? Were churches prior to 1954 taxable? No, churches have never been taxable. To be taxable a church would first need to be under the jurisdiction, and therefore under the taxing authority, of the government. The First Amendment clearly places the church outside the jurisdiction of the civil government: "Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

    Religion cannot be free if you have to pay the government, through taxation, to exercise it. Since churches aren't taxable in the first place, why do so many of them go to the IRS and seek permission to be tax-exempt? It occurs out of:

    Ignorance ("We didn't know any better")
    Bandwagon logic ("Everyone else is doing it")
    Professional advice (many attorneys and CPAs recommend it)
    Does the law require, or even encourage, a church to organize as a 501c3? To answer that question let's turn to what the IRS itself has to say.

    Churches Need Not Apply
    In order to be considered for tax-exempt status by the IRS an organization must fill out and submit IRS Form 1023 and 1024. However, note what the IRS says regarding churches and church ministries, in Publication 557:

    Some organizations are not required to file Form 1023. These include:
    Churches, interchurch organizations of local units of a church, conventions or associations of churches, or integrated auxiliaries of a church, such as a men's or women's organization, religious school, mission society, or youth group. These organizations are exempt automatically if they meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3).
    Churches Are "Automatically Tax-Exempt"
    According to IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A):

    Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations.
    (a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501(c)(3) status.
    (c) Exceptions.
    (1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to—
    (A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches.
    This is referred to as the "mandatory exception" rule. Thus, we see from the IRS' own publications, and the tax code, that it is completely unnecessary for any church to apply for tax-exempt status. In the IRS' own words a church "is automatically tax-exempt."

    Churches Are "Automatically Tax-Deductible"
    And what about tax-deductibility? Doesn't a church still need to become a 501c3 so that contributions to it can be taken as a tax deduction? The answer is no! According to IRS Publication 526:

    Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions
    You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below, must apply to the IRS.
    In the IRS' own words a church "is automatically tax-deductible."

    Churches Have a Mandatory Exception To Filing Tax Returns
    Not only is it completely unnecessary for any church to seek 501c3 status, to do so becomes a grant of jurisdiction to the IRS by any church that obtains that State favor. In the words of Steve Nestor, IRS Sr. Revenue Officer (ret.):

    "I am not the only IRS employee who's wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn't owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they've always had anyway. Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don't seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control."
    from the Forward of In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kershaw
    www.hushmoney.org

  •  

    Dear Editor:

    Please keep up the good work your doing on the Carona case. When I want to know the latest I go to the Journal. Carona, Hunt, Anderson, Jaramillo, Haidl and Calvallo all have similarities. They were all cozy together and kissed the brass ring of Carona and the OCGOP. One by one they all fell out of grace with Carona (except Anderson). They all had serious ethics lapses. Now the Board of Supes need to do the right thing. Hold a special election for Sheriff instead of catering to the wants and lusts of the Lincoln Club and OCGOP. The new sheriff appointee Anderson is a high up in the republican party. Orange county needs new blood from outside of the county.

    Linda Laguna Beach www.lindah@aol.com

     

    Dear Editor:

     
     Praying The Psalter Today 2008. Pastor Wiley Drake Calls for Imprecatory Prayer against So-Called Religious Liberty Watchdog Groups

    Contact: Wiley Drake, 714-865-8132

     

    In light of the recent attack from the enemies of God I ask the children of God to go into action with Imprecatory Prayer. Especially against Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the ACLU as well as others who attack God's people. I made an attempt to go to them via Matt 18:15 but they refused to talk to me. Specifically target Joe Conn or Jeremy Learing and their leader Rev. Barry Lynn. They are those who lead the attack. (You can see their press release attack at www.au.org )

    Imprecatory prayer, is now our duty

    Now that all efforts have been exhausted, we must begin our Imprecatory Prayer, at the key points of the parliamentary role in the earth where we live.

    John Calvin gave the church its marching orders from Scripture. The righteous have dominion, but only through imprecatory prayer against the ungodly.

    David as our Old Testament shepherd gives us many Imprecatory prayers, and can be found to be in best focus in Psalm 109. Also chapters 55, 58, 68, 69, and 83

    Pray these back to God and He will answer.

    Jesus in Matthew 23: 13, 15, 16, 23, 24, 27, and 29 gave us our New Testament marching orders as well.

    Let us join Paul and declare anathema upon anyone" who loves not the Lord Jesus." I Cor 16:22

    Church father Martin Luther, led us by saying…"If any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, the church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion, and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them, only until they acknowledge their sin, turn, and seek God."

    How to pray
    Please join us, with Bible in hand, and let us do battle against the enemies of God.

     

    Everyday telephonic prayer meeting (for those who want to pray)


    Every Day 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Pacific time zone

    Call- 1-605-772-3900

    Put in access code # 399430

    (Come on the telephone line for a few minutes or all of the time, but let us all pray.)

     

    Discussion on this event can be heard daily Monday through Thursday at 9:00 am PST "The Wiley Drake Show" on www.crusaderadio.com Let us pray and see what our God will do.

     

    Dear Editor:

     

    We want to thank the Laguna Journal and investigative reporter Michael Webster for alerting the public through many articles he has written in the past about our former Sheriff Michael Carona and for breaking the news of the indictment of Carona on federal corruption charges stemming from a lengthy investigation into allegations that he had misused his office for financial gain.

    We again want to thank Mr. Webster for reporting and keeping the Journal’s  readership up to date and not giving up on Carona’s misdeeds  and for years gave much more detail then the main stream news media provided. According to the Journal and others Carona also appears to be well known by Vegas notorieties who have homes in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, including Rick Rizzolo owner of Crazy Horse too strip club and contributor to Sheriff Carona and now a resident of a Federal penitentiary. The list includes past  Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, current Mayor Oscar Goodman,  MGM CEO Terry Lanni, Stations Casino owner Frank Fertitta, Jr. just to name a few that we have read about in the Journal. Keep up the good work informing your readers.

     

    Professor James Femia Ph.D 949 494-7456

    Long time Laguna Beach teacher and resident.

    Dear Editor:

    I enjoyed your article THE PATRIOT ACT AND YOU. 
    Regarding the Monetary Instrument Log (MIL), if I go into a bank
    and cash (not deposit) 4 cashier's checks or money orders made payable to me, 
    and the total of the 4 checks together is over $3,000 but under $10,000, is the bank required to 
    report the transaction to the MIL? Thank you. Lynne lynnesiclari@hotmail.com 

    Lynn. Thank you for your kind words about my article " The Patriot Act and You". I'm not an attorney and you should seek a professionals advice. My opinion is it does not! However a bank can report any transactions they want to. Amounts of over $5,000 total are often reported. Thx M.W. For other articles on similar and other related subjects visit; www.lagunajournal.com Scroll down lift and click on "Michael Webster's other writings"

    Dear Editor:

     

    The California Coastal Commission meeting Wed, Feb 6 starts at 9 a.m., but the meeting location has been changed to the Del Mar Fairgrounds’ Wyland Hall, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., in the city of Del Mar (just off I-5 in Del Mar at Via de la Valle exit). It holds 3,000 people so we all can attend and get a seat.  Arrive well before 9 and get labels and signs from Sierra Club table.

    Should a six lane toll roll go through the fifth most popular California State Park, San Onofre State Park?

    According to the Los Angeles Times January 17, 2008 “In September, the [California Coastal] commission’s staff recommended against approval, saying that building a six-lane toll road through San Onofre [State Park] would cause widespread violations of state environmental laws by threatening endangered species, marring natural resources and compromising recreational opportunities.”

    It ought to be a slam-dunk decision, but it is really crucial that we pack the hearing room and let the Commissioners know our concerns. 

    Volunteer to drive your car to Del Mar or get a ride by calling 939-7257 and we’ll organize carpools.

    An alternative is to go on buses that the Sierra Club is organizing that will leave from the entrance to Trestles Beach in San Clemente starting at 7 a.m.  Call Robin Everett at 949-361-7534 for details and to save your seat.

    Please join me in Del Mar at 9 a.m on Wednesday, Feb 6. 

    Gene Felder, Vice-President

    Laguna Canyon Conservancy

     

    Dear Editor:

     

    To anyone who has followed the “Save Trestles” campaign: This Wednesday is the Big Showdown. If you want to make a difference on whether a six-lane toll road is allowed to plow directly through San Onofre State Park and ruin the famed Trestles surf break and destroy a popular campground and surrounding wilderness, you need to attend the California Coastal Commission meeting in Del Mar this coming Wednesday.

    We know people care deeply about this issue, and have expressed loads of support. However, this time we need bodies; it’s that simple. A former CCC chairperson said the current commission is much more likely to deny permission to the toll road developers (the TCA) if there are a lot of people at this meeting, as in hundreds, possibly thousands. She said in past high profile CCC cases around the state, the vote went with the environmentalists when there were throngs of supporters in the audience. Otherwise, she said, the commissioners think no one really cares, and are more likely to vote with the slick lobbyists who have been wining and dining them.

    This vote also could impact all state parks and protected open spaces we believed were set aside forever (including our own greenbelt!). Apparently, it is open season on these public lands, and we need to draw a line in the sand now, or watch it all blow away. Especially with the current budget crunch, the heat is on. Even our “green” governor has caved into the pressure from special interests and sacrificed our state park and beach for a billion-dollar toll road to nowhere.

    Who is left to defend these last remaining fields and meadows, streams and wetlands, beaches and waves? Us! Me. You.

    So if you care about protecting one of the most popular California State Parks, and Trestles, please plan to head south on Wednesday and show your support in person. If you are a surfer who loves Trestles and clean water and access to public waves, don’t hang back and think other people will be there. We need you to show up! (Someone said surfer’s flu is going around.)

    If you really care, be there! We might not get another opportunity to save this park and beach!

    For details and carpool and bus info, go to www.savetrestles.com  or http://taskforce.sierraclub.org/friendsofthefoothills/ or contact Robin Everett at robin.everett@sierraclub.org  .

    Janine Robinson

    Laguna Beach

     

    Dear Editor:

     

    Let's be serious here.. Are any of you truly surprised? The Good Ole Boys have been dropping like flies since early 2007..Thanks to the Journal. Finally these money hungry, bustards despicable, hypocrites are being found out and they go hide behind what money they have in their lawyers basement. I know a guy who used to brag about being tight with Mike and deep down inside I was thinking how idiotic this guy was to think he was so connected by being friends with this criminal in uniform. They are no different than any of the illegal's or any other degenerate that we chastise for their felonious behaviors. The only difference is of course the all time evil "money"...I am so happy to see the entire Republican Party fall flat on their well educated and connected face as it serves these pompous parrots perfect.. Rest well you plastic jerks, I hope the judge actually throws the book away when it comes to dealing out your punishment. These idiots need not go to some plush facility where they can pay 130 per day and rent movies and have outdoor time, Like the sheriff's criminal buddy Rick Rizzolo owner of Crazy Horse too strip club of Las Vegas fame, they need to be humiliated in the publics eye so they can really feel the wrath. Let's not allow them to hide in a country club lock up, they need to perform thousands of hours of freeway cleanup or perhaps chopping trees and shrubs off Ortega hwy..

    Let's see them punished the way us TAXPAYERS would be punished had we been found guilty and or in the same predicament...Folks if you haven't noticed, we are in serious trouble when you can't trust your appointed or elected officials.. Don't forget to vote for Huckebee to implement the all important Fairtax.

     

    James Wood, Laguna Beach www.jamesw.@hotmail.com

     

    Dear Editor:

     In regards to the Save Trestles campaign and the bogus proposed extension of the 241 toll road in South Orange County. Please, PLEASE everyone who lives in Orange and San Diego County's go to www.savetrestles.org or www.savetrestles.com and educate yourself on what a mammoth mistake the extension of this toll road will be.
     This Save Trestles campaign is not just a bunch of angry surfers pissed off because someone is going to ruin one our waves. This will have an impact on everyone who lives in, or is traveling through Orange and San Diego County's. The 241 extension is proposed to be a $12 to $20 toll road depending on traffic, that will connect at interstate 5 at Baseline Road ( Just outside San Clemente and right on top of Trestles and San Onofre State Park!!!!!). The idea is so traffic can completely bypass the 5, 405, and 55 freeway's and connect with 91 in Riverside county. But really what will that solve!! Really the problem is when the carpool lane suddenly disappears on the 5 heading south into San Clemente, and then not making an appearance again until the 5 - 805 interchange in Del Mar. Imagine the crap-pot of traffic those heading southbound into San Diego would have to sit in if even more people were coming straight from Riverside County!!
     Also $12 to $20!!!!! Who in there right mind is going to pay $20 to bypass OC from San Diego only to come in into more heavy traffic on the 91 freeway??? Really, why must we all pay for Cal Trans stupid mistakes and poor planning?! Fix the 5 Cal Trans!!!
     
     Another issue is are governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lobbying to approve this project!! He is willing close countless State Parks, cut educational funds. Hell, he'll even release prisoners from State Prisons all in the name of saving California's budget. But he is willing to approve a billion dollar project that will make traffic worse, destroy the most visited State Park in CA, and cause an unknown amount of pollution to our beaches and oceans. If that makes sense to anybody out there please let me know!! The ironic thing about this is that Ronald Regan, a political figure our current governor has undoubtedly admired, fought to preserve San Onofre State Park in the 1970's. Again ,why must we all pay for our state officials miss spending and stupid mistakes? Why must all pay for a politician's political agenda?
     The other issue is obviously the sentimental damage this project will cause. The toll road is proposed to be built over the last natural watershed in Southern CA. The San Mateo Creek runs from the foothills straight out into the water at the Upper Trestles Surf Spot. Now' if someone told you they were going to build a six lane freeway with huge concrete pillars bored into the ground right in, on, or around the San Mateo Creek, but it won't cause any run off or pollution problems would you believe it? Please, Do the developers really think the public is that stupid?
     The last issue is the huge, HUGE, impact this will have on the surfing culture. Lower Trestles is widely regarded as the best surf spot in California, and is one the best waves in the world. This place hosts two ASP World Tour events annually, as well as a national amateur event ( The NSSA Nationals). Surfers come from literally all over the world to surf in these events, which gives  a huge boost to the local economy in nearby San Clemente, as well as the San Onofre State Park. With the completion of the proposed toll road all of this WILL disappear!!! All the surf spots in the Park are well known surfing destinations for surfers worldwide. Trestles and San Onofre State Park is to surfers as Yosemite National Park is to backpackers, campers, and rock climbers. Can you imagine someone building a six lane freeway through Yosemite Valley!!!! Not to mention charging you money to drive on it!!!!
     We are realistically talking about the destruction of natural land and wildlife, including marine wildlife. We are realistically talking bout the destruction of the States most frequently visited State Park! We are realistically talking about the destruction of one the worlds best surf spots, Lower Trestles. And for what????? More traffic on the 5 ??? A toll road no one is going to use because it's too expensive??? Because really that is all the public stands to gain out of this proposed toll road from hell!!
     If you live in Southern CA you will be affected by this. Even if you don't care about the environment, or the surfspots this project will have a HUGE negative impact on your drive through Orange County and San Diego County. To find out what you can do visit the above websites, or show up at the Del Mar Fairgrounds near San Diego on Feb. 6, 2008 at 9AM. Please help any way you can. Southern CA is crowded enough as it is. We don't need more traffic!
     
                                                                                                                                 Sincerely,
                                                                                                                                  Bjorn Hazelquist surf843@gmail.com
     rs) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (four years, potentially).

     

    Dear Editor:

     SENIOR ARTISTS ARE SENSATIONAL

    Whatever you do, don't miss the 2008 Senior Art Exhibit, now showing on the second floor of Wells Fargo Bank, on Ocean Avenue. Take the elevator up to the second floor or walk up the grand staircase and you will be surprised and happy you took time to see what is really a wealth of good art done by local seniors, open to the public when the bank is open.

    I was having a delicious blueberry bagel, on the bench under the Irma Nofziger memorial pepper tree on Ocean and two people came by and were talking about the Senior Art show, so I walked down to Wells Fargo, went up the grand staircase, in this one of our most unusual downtown buildings, and was surprised and happy to see such beautiful and artistic work. Patty Koss, our city's Senior Services Coordinator and many others have done a great job putting the exhibit together and now it's our turn to enjoy the talents of many senior artists, including 16 new entrants. The exhibit closes Jan. 31 (too bad it can't run longer) so take some time out and treat yourself.

    Roger Carter

    Laguna Beach

    Contact the writer: Lagunanewspost@ocregister.com or 949-454-7391

     
    To the Editor:                                                                         
     
           War and Republicans go together. The "war president", Bush, in his rush to drag the U.S. into another war before his term ends brings on the specter of WWIII in a fit of insanity.
           Death and destruction seem to mean nothing to the President as he plays with unsubstantiated facts and figures. Every time W. tosses out more uncorroborated information about Iran, U.S. intelligence agencies are quick to step in and contradict it.
            Bush's phony facts about Iran's weapons of mass destruction are as non-existent as they were about Iraq's WMD's.
            Will Americans be duped again by Bush and his cabal and its propaganda?
     
                     Ron Lowe         Santa Monica           530-277-0776

     

     

    Dear Mr. Webster :

    Thank you for contacting me to express your support for the Fair Tax Plan. I appreciate hearing from you on these matters.

    I agree that the current income tax system is broken and we need real reform. As a CPA with a Master's Degree in Business Taxation, I appreciate and support many of the theoretical underpinnings of the Fair Tax and share the desire to see an alternative system of taxation put in place. Although the Fair Tax would shift the focus from taxing work to taxing consumption and is preferable to what we have now, the move would be very dramatic and could have some unintended consequences.

    My fear is that a drastically different system having millions of retailers collect a 23 percent federal tax and an approximate 8 percent state tax on tens of millions of transactions per day would create an incentive for individuals to conduct cash transactions in a gray market in hopes of avoiding the taxes. In order to enforce this system, we would need a huge Internal Revenue Service that would be more intrusive since it would need to be able to audit this massive number of transactions.

    Also , to not have both a national sales tax and income tax, we would need to simultaneously repeal the 16 th Amendment to the Constitution, which authorized the income tax, and implement the Fair Tax. These difficulties and hurdles have led me to propose a different, more politically viable , approach to tax reform, known as the AMT Repeal and Taxpayer Choice Act.

    The AMT Repeal and Taxpayer Choice Act would create a voluntary Alternative Simplified Tax (AST) that would give individuals the option of paying either the AST or the regular income tax as it is structured in current law, beginning in tax-year 2007. The bill would give taxpayers the choice of paying either the current, regular income tax, with standard tax rates and more available deductions; or, the AST that has fewer available deductions but lower tax rates. In general, the AST would look a lot like a rudimentary two-tiered flat tax.

    Should one tax system work better for you one year, choose it. If the other system works better in another year, choose that. Tax payers would choose the system every year at the time of filing their income tax returns regardless of the system they chose in the prior year. My hope is that it would introduce taxpayers to the virtues of a simpler tax code while not abruptly forcing everyone to a completely different way of doing business. Once Americans see the benefits of a simple system, any system, including the Fair Tax, would be easier to implement.


    Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. Having the benefit of your views is important, and I appreciate you sharing them with me.

    I remain respectfully yours,

    JOHN CAMPBELL
    Member of Congress

    Oct 17, 2007

    Representative John Campbell
    United States House of Representatives
    1728 Longworth House Office Building
    Washington, DC 20515-0001

    Dear Representative Campbell,

    While I'm pleased to see Congress again discussing tax reform, the
    current focus on just the Alternative Minimum Tax misses the point. No
    doubt, the AMT is a problem for many, but worrying about the AMT --
    when the whole federal income tax system needs to be replaced -- is
    not going to solve the real problems facing all American taxpayers.

    As a voting constituent of yours, I support a real alternative, the
    FairTax, and would suggest you study and co-sponsor this proposal. The
    FairTax is a progressive alternative to our current system that is
    better for everyone:  Citizens, businesses, and most of all our
    economy, which would be unshackled from the endless volumes of
    regulations and rules that comprise our federal tax code today. It
    will help save the "Made in America" label and protect the
    poor and middle class with a monthly prebate.

    I urge you to consider and actively support a real income tax
    alternative: The FairTax. This tax reform plan, embodied in H.R. 25,
    already has 65 co-sponsors and is the only true alternative to our
    current flawed tax code. The taxpaying public -- individuals, farmers,
    schoolteachers, seniors, small business owners, and others -- will
    thank you for your co-sponsorship of the FairTax (H.R. 25).

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Michael Webster

    Laguna Journal
    301 Forest Ave
    Laguna Beach, CA 92651-2115

    To the Editor:                                                                               October 30, 2007
     
            The anti-immigration movement is a shrill chorus of self-righteous white xenophobics (people afraid of foreigners) who have been sucked into a divsive nationalist agenda. 
            The immigration debate about brown skinned Mexicans and Latinos is no different than the social unrest over blacks in the 50's. Racism has just spiraled around again and taken on a new shape.
            An example of what most Americans are not seeing as they ride in the comfort of their SUV. I ride public transportation and many of the passengers are Mexican. They don't wear signs saying I am a legal or illegal immigrant. They are hard working and courteous fellow passengers. But, there are others who ride the same buses who have an agenda; white, rude, belligerant, and obnoxious anti-immigrationists who spew out obscenities on Mexican men, women and children. The police have had to be called on occasion.
           So, who would you rather sit next to, be with? A respectful immigrant or one of these white hatemongers? This is not an extreme and isolated case.
     
                   Ron Lowe         Santa Monica          530-277-0776

     

    Letter to Editor,

     
            It's good I didn't have a cup of coffee in my hand when I read the headline: "Bush raises specter of 'WWIII' if Iran develops nuclear weapons". The man is drunk with power or not playing with a full deck. Will George Bush, the other nabobs in power win the day?
            Are Iranian people any different than American people - do they want war any more than we do? No, it is the two idiosyncratic and fundamentalist leaders of United States and Iran, Bush and Ahmadinejad, who are setting the stage for another war.
            How long will Americans continue to stand by apathetically and let war professionals and fearmongers in the White House have their way?
     
                     Ron Lowe         Santa Monica          530-277-0776
     
    Today is the Day for "Sicko"
    June 29, 2007
    Friends,
    This is it! Two years in the making! The day that our new film, "Sicko," arrives in theaters all across North America! Click here to see where the nearest one is to you.
    After you go, let me know what you think. Oh, and send us a photo or a video from your cell phone to show us what it looked like at your theater. We'd love to post a photo from each of the 440 movie theaters showing "Sicko."
    To read more about the movie, you can go to www.michaelmoore.com.
    Here's what this morning's review in the L.A. Times said: "It's likely his most important, most impressive, and most provocative film." Okay, what do they know? I prefer to trust the assessment of E! Television Online: " 'Sicko' - the best movie ever? Maybe." Maybe? MAYBE?! When will they ever give me a break?
    It's been a weirdly funny week. First Larry King bumped me for Paris Hilton. Then today, when CNBC invited me to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for an interview, the stock exchange said I was barred from the building. On top of that, Tony Blair is gone, Cheney says he's no longer answerable to anyone's elected government, and I simply don't want an iPhone. Just another week in America.
    Hope you enjoy the movie!
    Yours,
    Michael Moore
    mmflint@aol.com
     

     

     

    Dear Editor:


    Sincerely appreciate your help with "Post Press" Highlighting the HOT
    Fashion show held at Mandarin Fine art Gallery In Laguna Beach for "Sandie
    Ward's Original" designs for women, on Saturday May 19th, 2007.
    Funds were raised for "Friendship Shelter" a local charity.

    Please call if you need this in any other format to print and I will be
    happy to forward.

    Just starting out, we can use all the help we can get!

    Picture  #8, 7731 is Designer, Sandie Ward.
     
    Picture  #9 is John Tabacek and Kimberly Harlot from Mandarin Fine Art.

    Thanks Kindly!

    Sandie Ward
    Studio 949-494-5571
     

    Dear Editor:

     
            Even though Jerry Falwell had a lighter side one tends to remember the other side, the public persona of the preacher we came to know so well.
            Falwell spotlighted everything that is wrong with Christian conservatives and the fundamentalist right. The preacher spent years fanning the flames of hate. Falwell led the charge of those trying to tear down the wall between church and state.
            Falwell was a major player in the frontline of the anti-abortion crazies and had a serious case of homophobia. If the right reverend had had his way we would have prayer in school. Let's not mince words and try to glorify Jerry Falwell.
     
                     Ron Lowe             Santa Monica, CA           310-451-3738

     


    Dear Editor:

    This week, baby seals started loosing their lives in Canada as fisherman hunters took to the ice. If this hunt is like last year, over 350,000 harp seals will die -- almost all of them babies as young as 12 days. These newborn seals are skinned or bled alive, clubbed to death, or shot and left to die under the ice!

    One of our most effective weapons against the hunt is a boycott of Canadian seafood. Pledge to stop the seal hunt using your buying power! >> http://go.care2.com/e/R0e_/IJkg/.2jC

    Why is a boycott powerful and effective? Seal hunting is an off-season activity for Canada's east coast commercial fishermen. Only a small fraction of their income comes from selling seal skins to the fur industry. [1] The majority of their annual income is made through seafood products such as snow crab, cod, scallops and shrimp.

    This financial connection between the commercial fishing industry and the seal hunt means that people all over the world have the power to end the hunt by choosing not to buy seafood products from the hunters.

    Sign the pledge to boycott Canadian seafood today and help cut off the profits that fuel the seal hunt! We'll send your pledge to Canada's Minister of International Trade.

    When you put the pressure on Canada's fishing industry, you'll be joining the more than 350,000 people who have pledged not to buy Canadian seafood products until this cruel hunt ends for good. Together, we are making a difference to these beautiful, intelligent creatures!

    Robyn E.

    Care2 and
    ThePetitionSite Team


    [1] Only a reported $17.5 million (Canadian) annually, compared to the nearly $3 billion taken in by the Canadian fishing industry from seafood exports to the United States.

     

    Dear Editor:

    Dear Mr. President: Send Even MORE Troops (and you go, too!) ...from Michael Moore

    Dear Mr. President,

    Thanks for your address to the nation. It's good to know you still want to talk to us after how we behaved in November.

    Listen, can I be frank? Sending in 20,000 more troops just ain't gonna do the job. That will only bring the troop level back up to what it was last year. And we were losing the war last year! We've already had over a million troops serve some time in Iraq since 2003. Another few thousand is simply not enough to find those weapons of mass destruction! Er, I mean... bringing those responsible for 9/11 to justice! Um, scratch that. Try this -- BRING DEMOCRACY TO THE MIDDLE EAST! YES!!!

    You've got to show some courage, dude! You've got to win this one! C'mon, you got Saddam! You hung 'im high! I loved watching the video of that -- just like the old wild west! The bad guy wore black! The hangmen were as crazy as the hangee! Lynch mobs rule!!!

    Look, I have to admit I feel very sorry for the predicament you're in. As Ricky Bobby said, "If you're not first, you're last." And you being humiliated in front of the whole world does NONE of us Americans any good.

    Sir, listen to me. You have to send in MILLIONS of troops to Iraq, not thousands! The only way to lick this thing now is to flood Iraq with millions of us! I know that you're out of combat-ready soldiers -- so you have to look elsewhere! The only way you are going to beat a nation of 27 million -- Iraq -- is to send in at least 28 million! Here's how it would work:

    The first 27 million Americans go in and kill one Iraqi each. That will quickly take care of any insurgency. The other one million of us will stay and rebuild the country. Simple.

    Now, I know you're saying, where will I find 28 million Americans to go to Iraq? Here are some suggestions:

    1. More than 62,000,000 Americans voted for you in the last election (the one that took place a year and half into a war we already knew we were losing). I am confident that at least a third of them would want to put their body where there vote was and sign up to volunteer. I know many of these people and, while we may disagree politically, I know that they don't believe someone else should have to go and fight their fight for them -- while they hide here in America.

    2. Start a "Kill an Iraqi" Meet-Up group in cities across the country. I know this idea is so early-21st century, but I once went to a Lou Dobbs Meet-Up and, I swear, some of the best ideas happen after the third mojito. I'm sure you'll get another five million or so enlistees from this effort.

    3. Send over all members of the mainstream media. After all, they were your collaborators in bringing us this war -- and many of them are already trained from having been "embedded!" If that doesn't bring the total to 28 million, then draft all viewers of the FOX News channel.

    Mr. Bush, do not give up! Now is not the time to pull your punch! Don't be a weenie by sending in a few over-tired troops. Get your people behind you and YOU lead them in like a true commander in chief! Leave no conservative behind! Full speed ahead!

    We promise to write. Go get 'em W!

    Yours,

    Michael Moore
    mmflint@aol.com
    www.michaelmoore.com

     

    Dear Editor:

    Friends,

    Let the resounding defeat of Senator Joe Lieberman send a cold shiver down the spine of every Democrat who supported the invasion of Iraq and who continues to support, in any way, this senseless, immoral, unwinnable war. Make no mistake about it: We, the majority of Americans, want this war ended -- and we will actively work to defeat each and every one of you who does not support an immediate end to this war.

    Nearly every Democrat set to run for president in 2008 is responsible for this war. They voted for it or they supported it. That single, stupid decision has cost us 2,592 American lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives. Lieberman and Company made a colossal mistake -- and we are going to make sure they pay for that mistake. Payback time started last night.

    I realize that there are those like Kerry and Edwards who have now changed their position and are strongly anti-war. Perhaps that switch will be enough for some to support them. For others, like me -- while I'm glad they've seen the light -- their massive error in judgment is, sadly, proof that they are not fit for the job. They sided with Bush, and for that, they may never enter the promised land.

    To Hillary, our first best hope for a woman to become president, I cannot for the life of me figure out why you continue to support Bush and his war. I'm sure someone has advised you that a woman can't be elected unless she proves she can kick ass just as crazy as any man. I'm here to tell you that you will never make it through the Democratic primaries unless you start now by strongly opposing the war. It is your only hope. You and Joe have been Bush's biggest Democratic supporters of the war. Last night's voter revolt took place just a few miles from your home in Chappaqua. Did you hear the noise? Can you read the writing on the wall?

    To every Democratic Senator and Congressman who continues to back Bush's War, allow me to inform you that your days in elective office are now numbered. Myself and tens of millions of citizens are going to work hard to actively remove you from any position of power.

    If you don't believe us, give Joe a call.

    Yours,
    Michael Moore
    mmflint@aol.com
    www.michaelmoore.com

    P.S. Republicans -- sorry to leave you out of this letter. It's just that our side has a little housecleaning to do. We'll take care of you this November.

    Dear Editor:


    I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just
    don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up
    to $4.7 million.

    If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in
    action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half
    of which is taxable.

    Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse,
    you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211
    per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those
    payments come to a screeching halt.

    Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of
    $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough.
    Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong
    place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF
    US, and they and their families know the dangers.

    We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the
    Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same
    deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that,
    some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for
    compensation as well.

    You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel
    of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just
    really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they
    usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in
    combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food
    stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?

    However, our own U.S. Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you
    don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a
    pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to
    being millionaires plus. They did not receive Social Security on
    retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of
    the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may
    receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed
    them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.

    I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join
    ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting . " When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to
    forward this to as many people as you can.

    Morales, Lorena LBMorales@mednet.ucla.edu