FROM IGNORANCE AND INCOMPETENCE TO OPPORTUNITY AND PRIDE

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
COLUMNIST
Douglas, GA Enterprise
Natchitoches, LA Times
Camden County, GA Courier

IMMIGRATION: FROM IGNORANCE AND INCOMPETENCE TO OPPORTUNITY AND PRIDE

By Jim Willits and William Penn Fallin

Note: Jim Willits is a businessman in Dallas, TX who deals with immigration on a daily basis

(4 Part Series)

(Part 1) Typical Washington

This immigration issue is a symbol for what’s wrong with America. Let’s look at the landscape in which we find ourselves, what we’re doing wrong, and how to solve the problem.

Washington is completely out of touch with the American people on the immigration issue. That doesn’t mean Democrats or Republicans. It means both of them. Their suggested policies (or solutions) are ridiculous and impractical. But there is a workable solution out there. It involves a dirty word though, “Compromise.”

People have become so self-centered today that they forget we live in a country of 300 million people. Whatever your personal opinion on any subject, the chances of you getting everything you want on any enormously complicated issue are roughly zero. A rational person then looks to what is achievable and seeks to solve the problem to the best extent possible. That will involve aspects of a solution you don’t like. Get over it. Whiny little partisans on the other hand, like those we have running our country, scream obscenities at each other to whip up their bases, who are usually equally whiny and self-centered. Ask Average Joe American what he thinks and you see the seeds of compromise.

Does Average Joe want the borders controlled? Yes.
Does he want all illegal immigrants returned to Mexico? No.
Does he want blanket amnesty? No.
Does he want some path to citizenship for at least some of these people? Yes.
Does he want to stop immigration? No.
Does he want to stop illegal immigration? Yes.
Do we need these people? Yes.
Do these people currently drain our public infrastructure? Yes.
Are they still a net benefit for us? Yes.
Does he want immigrants to learn English? Yes.
Is he racist? No.
Is he tired of people breaking the law and calling him a bigot whenever he brings it up? Yes.

Each side believes they represent the American people. They don’t. People who want to shut the borders and return all illegals represent the uncompromising hard right. They are a generally well-intentioned group who stand for old-fashioned American values, anybody who wears jeans and a well-worn hat representing a corporate entity, sports team, or mouth cancer causing consumable product. Unfortunately they get “Stuck on Stupid” instead of taking advantage of the fact that their opponents are just basically mean-spirited people or naïve dreamers.

The opposite extreme are people who swoon and talk in glowing terms about the hard working nature of these oppressed people and their struggle to overcome racism and the fight for open borders. They are more easily identified as the uncompromising hard left. These people lament the fact that we don’t live in a world where cars and vehicles of all kind are unnecessary. They live in a dream world, which bears no relation to the one in which we actually live. They spend their time looking up into the sky at the pretty birds and then get run over by the buses that they think shouldn’t exist. They owe allegiance to “a larger cause” than any nation; an elusive notion of citizens without borders, universal humanity and any number of other post-Marxist fantasies. They are the flag desecrators.

Middle America loathes both of these groups even more than illegal immigration. They’re sick of hearing it, all of it. Most Americans fall in the middle this issue, like most issues. If there were ever an issue that more cogently illustrates the dire need for a Third Party in this country than this issue, I’d love to hear about it.

You Politicians should put down your talking points and quit looking for the perfect catch phrase to increase your fund-raising ability with the base. Middle America detests your base. Just get out there and solve the problem by coming up with a workable solution that will inevitably include great compromise, but in the end will allow all of us to be secure in the knowledge that we did a good thing. You aren’t going to satisfy the outer 20% of either wing anyway (with anything that could actually happen), so stop trying. To put it in terms that Washington can understand, there are more votes in the middle anyway.

So what is that solution to immigration? We’ll discuss that in Part 2.

ANOTHER SIDE TO IMPORTING

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
Columnist
Douglas, Ga. Enterprise
Natchitoches, La. Times
Camden County, Ga. Courier

ANOTHER SIDE TO IMPORTING

Back in the eighties when I lived in Taiwan and managed the import division of Newell/Rubbermaid we were asked to help put a product together for our Anchor Hocking Division.

A-H made a really nice glass product for the oven, good looking, very serviceable and heatproof. Their problem was how to make it attractive to the shopper. Sitting on a shelf at retail with a price sticker didn’t get it done. They settled on selling it as a package deal, along with a woven wicker basket to protect the dining table and a plastic lid (to keep casserole hot before serving). They asked us to source the following:

Plastic lid that would snap on the cooked dish,

wicker baskets to fit each size dish and

printed carton.

After much searching throughout China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines we finally found a source in Manila who could provide the baskets. He convinced me he could produce 60 (40 foot) containers (tractor trailer loads) a year. That is a lot of baskets. He also had the best price. Since we had four sizes we had to send him a few samples of each. From those he had wooden molds made around which the weavers would then weave the baskets. We used colored patterns to further enhance the beauty of the basket. To get consistency he had all the wicker strips dyed in Manila. The wicker and the molds were then delivered to women and girls in the mountains of Northern Luzon and surrounding Philippine countryside. They made baskets after they finished their daily housekeeping chores. The baskets were then collected by trucks, running weekly routes to all the weavers.

We bought those baskets for less than $.60 each. The weavers got $.20 for each basket.

Next we found an injection plastic molder in Thailand who could make the lids for the glass casserole dishes. And then we located a printing company in Osaka, Japan who had perfected the finest quality printing on a carton I had ever seen. They could reproduce the photo of a dish of roast beef or of a cherry cobbler that was better than the original photo.

Now came the coordinating. The Americans had to predict how many of each size they could sell in a selling season. From their forecasts we then placed orders for baskets (four sizes), plastic lids (four sizes) and full color printed cartons (four sizes). All that took a lot of set-ups for the printer/carton maker, a lot of wooden mold making (in four sizes) for the weavers and the building of four injection molds for the plastic lids.

Once production was underway we then had to inspect the finished products in Manila, Bangkok and Osaka. No wonder I was traveling all the time.

When you consumers walk into a WalMart, Target or any other retail outlet that carries Anchor Hocking products and see that beautiful carton sitting on their shelf you have no inkling that it contains a wonderful oven proof dish made in Lancaster, Ohio, a basket in which to serve your final creation, (made by a little old lady somewhere in the hills of The Philippines who makes $2.00 a day) a plastic lid you would snap into place to keep the dish hot (made in Thailand) while the whole package is displayed in a beautiful carton printed in Japan.

And so goes the world of imports.

If that final product had to be made in America there would be no basket or if there was one it would cost at least ten times more. The plastic lid would cost about twice what it cost from Thailand and the carton would cost about the same but would not be as beautiful. The retail price of the final product (100% made in America) would be at least twice the price you pay now.

That is but one example of the benefits of importing. When we talk about bringing all those jobs back to America do we ever give full consideration to what it will cost us when we go shopping? It’s something to think about…anyway. There are two sides (and sometimes three) to almost every question.

Letter to President Bush

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
Columnist
Douglas, GA Enterprise
Natchitoches, LA Times
Camden County, GA Courier

Dear Mr. President:

Leading America must be difficult when 60% of the people disapprove of your leadership. Although I supported you in both campaigns I find myself constantly struggling to remain among the positive 40%. Here are some reasons.

While I fully agree we are in a war for our very survival, (a conviction not shared by about half the population), I disagree with some things you are doing during these perilous times.

Let’s discuss energy. While I agree we are “addicted to oil” I disagree with your handling of the problem. According to a current US Geological Survey we are sitting on more than 16 billion barrels of oil in ANWR (5% of our annual needs for 30 years) and yet we cannot bring ourselves to drill holes in that God forsaken corner of the world. We allow enviro-nuts to prevent ANWR drilling in the name of “preserving caribou herds and pristine beauty,” while ignoring the fact that caribou herds tripled on the North Slope after we drilled there and “pristine beauty” is as yet undiscovered in ANWR.

Frankly, your administration and Congress have failed miserably with ANWR. Such inaction borders on insanity.

I agree we must find alternative fuels but why ethanol? 100% of our corn production, converted to ethanol would run approximately 15% of our 220 million autos. We simply cannot grow enough corn. Currently we use roughly 70% of our corn output for livestock feed, 25% for human consumption and 5% is exported. What would you change?

With the price of oil hovering around $60 a barrel why shouldn’t we concentrate on extracting the immense supply of oil from shale in the Rockies and from the sands of Alberta, Canada instead of chasing corn? And why are we not trying harder to convert coal to liquid fuels? It’s doable.

Everyone knows it’s dangerous to depend on oil from the Middle East. Even Venezuela is questionable. Speaking of Venezuela, why don’t we simply tell Hugo Chavez that the act of cutting off our oil shipments will be considered an act of war, whereupon we will embargo everything going into and out of his ports? And that we will freeze his assets in America, starting with his CITGO stations.

We cannot afford being cut off from foreign oil (for years) until alternate fuels are developed. In the intervening period oil is absolutely necessary; from ANWR, shale, sands, coal, corn, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia, wherever.

Speaking of energy why are you not pushing nuclear power generation? Is it too logical?

Let’s discuss borders. I agree with your words but disagree with your actions. You speak almost weekly about immigration. You SAY we must protect our borders but you don’t follow through. You SAY we need a guest worker program (which I support) but you propose no plausible plan that works. You SAY you are against Amnesty while your proposed guest worker programs that smack of Amnesty. Although many college freshmen today require additional basic tutoring in 3R’s Americans generally understand the definition of Amnesty.

And now for the port debacle: You SAY we should grant control of terminals inside our ports to a Middle Eastern Country and you give good reasons to do so but again you fail to provide all the facts. You SAY Homeland Security will continue providing port security at the same time we learn the managing companies are responsible for hiring and managing security personnel for the actual terminals, including immediate perimeters. While we continue controlling areas approaching the docks, that action is not all encompassing from a security standpoint.

Partial truths (spinning) are simply unhelpful.

Most Americans (I believe) are opposed to our ports being run by foreign corporations/countries. Why are they present in the first place? Partly because we tax American corporations so heavily they cannot profitably run such companies.

Foreign based companies, including those who flood our markets with their goods, receive major tax advantages. Therein lies an important reason we are not competitive (worldwide) in manufacturing or in port management.

Speaking of security, you continue embracing political correctness, even when it comes across as utter silliness. Why do we body-search 5 year olds and 85 year olds in airports while young men (apparently Arab) walk through unchallenged, all in the name of PREVENTING RACIAL PROFILING? How can Americans take our security program seriously while such idiocy continues?

And what is grand about foreign investment in America? They already own over 20% of our nation’s assets and it grows as I type.

Sincerely,
Bill Fallin

MR. MACK AND HIS LINCOLN ZEPHYR

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
Columnist
Douglas, GA Enterprise
Natchitoches, LA Times
Camden County, GA Courier

MR. MACK AND HIS LINCOLN ZEPHYR

One of my chores during my fourth and fifth years (1935 and 1936) was watching for Mr. Mack. Mr. Mack was our rural mail carrier and he arrived like clockwork at 10:05 every morning unless it had been raining real heavily and the dirt roads were difficult to pass.

I would sit on the porch of our farmhouse and watch the intersection about 100 yards away. Rocky Ford Road and Baker Road intersected in the middle of our farm and Mr. Mack traveled along Baker Road. Our house sat in the Northwest corner and between the house and the road was Mama’s rose garden. The mailbox was at the corner of the rose garden.

Back then Mama bought her penny post cards from Mr. Mack. She would give me the pennies to put in the jar lid inside the mailbox. Mr. Mack knew those pennies were for postcards unless there was a letter in there. If that case he deducted 3 cents for the letter and left the remainder in penny postcards. Ah, the simple life.

One morning I was impatiently waiting for Mr. Mack when I saw a mysterious car stop at our mailbox. It was the biggest and most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Mr. Mack had bought a new LINCOLN ZEPHYR. I didn’t know it was one of the first ever built until I researched this column and learned that Ford had in fact introduced the LINCOLN ZEPHYR IN 1936.

What got me thinking about this in the first place was a recent Ford ad re-introducing the Lincoln Zephyr. It will never be as beautiful as that first one Mr. Mack drove up to our mailbox that morning in 1936.

A few months later I started school (two months prior to my 6th birthday) and one of the things I missed most was waiting for Mr. Mack but it was time to move on in the world. In the next few years I got to know more about that Lincoln Zephyr. Mr. Mack lived near our school and we kids got a look under the hood one day when Mr. Mack was tinkering with the engine. That V-12 monster still occupies a keen spot in my memory.

In those days a rural mail carrier’s job was much like getting appointed to the Supreme Court. It was for life and it paid well. A mail carrier’s job was one of the most cherished in any small town. Congressmen usually did the appointing and the recipients lived well thereafter. They ranked right up with the shop owners and even some bankers in small towns.

The time finally came for Mr. Mack to retire and our congressman (E. E. Cox (D GA)) wanted no part in alienating half the people on that route so he called a special election for Mr. Mack’s replacement. Two young local men tested and qualified for the job. One (Carnelle Barkley) was the son of a former member of the county draft board during THE WAR and the other (Jarvis Murphy) had lost his father when he was about five. Barkley had successfully dodged the draft due to his father’s influence while Murphy had enlisted in the Army Air Corps and finished training as a bombardier on a B-17.

His training finished, he was shipped off to England and on his very first mission, his plane was shot down by the Germans. He was captured by German farmers with pitchforks, imprisoned, freed by the advancing Russians, turned over to the Americans and returned home all within six months. I remember him telling about when he jumped from that falling B-17. That was the first time he had ever thought of jumping but he remembered being told to count to ten and pull the parachute ripcord. His description of his fear when that cord came all the way out into his hand was priceless … but it worked.

I’m sure you can guess who won that election to succeed Mr. Mack. Murphy was the rural mail carrier until he retired and I think he earned the right. Barkley eventually moved away to start anew somewhere else. I never believed he really wanted his father to protect him to the point of branding him a coward in the eyes of the community but it happened.

Oh yeah, the only name I ever knew other than Mr. Mack was his last name, McKibben. Everyone called him Mr. Mack.

ARE YOU READY FOR A NAP?

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
Columnist
Douglas, GA Enterprise
Natchitoches, LA Times
Camden County, GA Courier

ARE YOU READY FOR A NAP?

LET’S EXPLORE A BORING SUBJECT

Let’s discuss the trade deficit. That ought to immediately put you to sleep unless you’d like to take another look from a different angle.

If there are no consumer goods being manufactured in your county it’s a pretty safe bet you are not personally feeling any negative effects of America’s just announced $710 billion trade deficit for 2005. However, when you buy stuff in your local Wal-Mart, Target, Ace Hardware (or virtually anywhere else) you are seeing the positive effects because you are benefiting from lower priced imported goods. That’s the upside and it’s an important one.

Let’s look at this from a slightly different standpoint. Just how much is $710 billion dollars? Do you have a good feel for such numbers? Most of us don’t. Relating them to something familiar just might make the subject more interesting.

Let’s compare our trade deficit to the recently announced 2005 sales totals for four of America’s largest and best known corporations.

WalMart $286 billion
GM 184 billion
Ford 171 billion
Boeing 60 billion
Total $701 billion

US Trade deficit: $710 billion

Now let’s discuss the deficit as it applies to people. Perhaps that will help keep the numbers less boring.

In 2005 our imports totaled about $1.64 TRILLION dollars. And we exported $930 billion so the trade deficit was $710 billion.

It takes about 10 people working on production lines (and in supporting jobs) in the United States to produce consumer goods worth $1 million. Now let’s extrapolate.

$10 million requires 100 workers. $100 million requires 1,000 people, $1 billion 10,000 people, $10 billion 100,000 people. $100 billion 1,000,000 people and $700 billion requires 7,000,000 US workers. That simply means that 7,000,000 Americans have lost their jobs to 7,000,000 Chinese, Mexicans and other non-American workers.

Today there are only about 14,000,000 Americans DIRECTLY employed in US manufacturing jobs. The loss in the last 25 years of 7,000,000 jobs is roughly equal to a third of the approximately 21 million who were working in American manufacturing jobs when this drain began in earnest about 25 years ago. And the loss continues to grow each day.

Who is negatively affected? Most workers support someone other than themselves. If each working employee is supporting one additional person that means that 14,000,000 Americans are being adversely affected by our trade deficits. Based on an average state population of 6,000,000, an average of 280,000 per state are in this category.

Many argue that most of those people have found other work. That is obviously correct, based on the current low mark of less than 5% unemployment. However, US labor department employment statistics never mentions how many of those 7,000,000 workers have had to take jobs at dramatically lower pay.

There is no question that virtually all of us benefit from lower prices in our retail stores as a result of exporting those jobs and importing those goods. A set of aluminum cookware for example would cost you about 35% more if it were made in the USA. Textiles of all kinds would be dramatically higher as would anything else that is labor intensive. I could go on and on with examples but you get the point.

A strange phenomenon occurs in some product categories however, once the entire category has been moved overseas. No longer is it possible to compare prices to US made goods so the retail prices gradually rise until they approach their former levels. I’m sure I could bore you with many examples but shoes and consumer electronics are sufficient to make the point. Both categories are almost exclusively made overseas so we have no way to compare or determine if we are still getting a bargain.

So, is a trade deficit good for you? As someone said, “it all depends on your definition of ‘IS’.” If you lost your job when your factory closed and you had to take another job that pays less, it matters little what you must pay for a set of Chinese cookware because you are not likely to be buying new cookware. On the other hand if you are still employed at the same level as before you are surely benefiting and less likely to notice the financial problems of your neighbors.

One final note of interest: Foreign countries and foreign investors now own approximately $3 TRILLION dollars of America’s corporate assets. What should that number mean to you? It means that foreigners already own about 20% of those assets. If this trend continues how much will they own in another 25-30 years?

Enjoy your day.

If I Were President

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
Columnist
Douglas, GA Enterprise
Natchitoches, LA Times
Camden County, GA Courier

HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE BUSH’S JOB?

Frankly I can’t imagine why anyone would want the job. No matter what you do you know criticism is coming from all sides. I tried to imagine my thoughts (if I were in that job) during a day’s briefings. These things came to mind:

It’s early morning and I’m being briefed by CIA chief Porter Goss, Donald Rumsfeld and Condi Rice about the overnight horrors. First Goss tells me about the murdering Muslims’ roadside bombs and the threat of Iraqi Shiites saying they will fight with Iran if we attack. That bugs me but I know we cannot surrender. They are committed and we’d better be if we are to survive this war.

Next Rumsfeld fills in details about our military going into Pakistan after Usama bin Laden’s right arm, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian thug who sits at bin Laden’s elbow. They got word he was going to dinner in a little village and our drones went in and took out the house. The problem was Zawahiri decided not go that night. Instead he sent two important members of his gang. We got them but once again we missed him. The down side is we also killed a few civilians and that has gotten President Musharraf in trouble.

Condi tells me Iran has made deals with Russia and China and has thumbed their noses at Europe and the US. That murderous maniacal president of Iran has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. He is spoiling for a fight. And he’s nutty enough to start one.

Condi reminds me that Vladimir Putin is a liar and is still thinking like a KGB agent. All those nice things Vladimir said to me while visiting my Texas ranch meant nothing. And of course Condi tosses in her daily reminder that Vincente Fox, my friend of many years, is sending Mexican troops across our border supporting drug runners and smuggling foreign agents into our country. I gotta do something about Fox but what?

Goss tells me China is violating every promise they have ever made so far as trade is concerned and they keep threatening to attack Taiwan with whom we have a treaty to defend against such an attack. Will China actually attack Taiwan? It depends on whether they think I will make good on that law passed in 1978 committing us to protect Taiwan.

That ugly little maniac in N. Korea is flexing his muscles again today according to my entire team. He is again threatening to send one of his missiles to California or was that ten missiles? I wonder how many nuclear warheads he really has. I realize our intelligence about such matters is iffy at best. I well remember CIA Chief (George Tenet) telling me that WMD’s in Iraq was “a slam dunk.” Slam dunk alright. Why didn’t Tenet tell me about Saddam sending those WMD’S into Syria before we invaded? He deserved to be fired.

Rumsfeld digs in on Hugo Chávez, Venezuela’s little commie president, sitting down there hating the USA and trying to kiss up to Castro. He’s also threatening to cut off our oil. Something has to be done about him but what?

It’s all over TV, Iran is threatening to cut off 35% of the entire world’s oil supply by blocking the Straits of Hormuz. That would take the rag off the bush for sure. Would they do it? I’m convinced they’re nutty enough to do anything.

What did you say, Condi, Chirac has threatened to nuke somebody? What got into him? Do you think the new leader of Germany (the lady, what’s her name) is going to be someone we can trust for more than a day? Thank God for Tony Blair, at least there’s one liberal we can trust.

Speaking of liberals, what the devil is getting into the democrats? It seems at times they have collectively lost their minds. When I sat there watching the Alito hearings and listening to Fat Teddy Kennedy braying about honor, truth and trustworthiness I couldn’t help remembering Chappaquiddick and Mary Jo Kopechne. Teddy ought to just shut up.

You don’t say; we have enough votes to defeat a filibuster over Alito without changing any Senate rules? Well, just wait until the next opening on that court if there is one. If either Ginsburg, Stephens, Breyer or Souter drop out all hell is going to break loose. The leftists will demand I appoint someone as far left as the one leaving. And there is no way I am going to even come close. No way. Now that will be a battle even I look forward to watching.

My dad really screwed up on Souter. He’ll never forgive John Sununu for that recommendation.

Still say you’d like to be president?

ARE MULES AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
COLUMNIST
Douglas, GA Enterprise
Natchitoches, LA Times
Camden County, GA Courier

ARE MULES AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?

How long since you saw a mule? Have you ever seen one? At one time mules were the most important animals on a farm. They are sure footed, have great stamina and are very strong. For plowing (before the tractor) nothing came close to a mule. They follow a furrow, pull a plow, pull a wagon or almost anything else to which you want to harness them. And they are easily trained —- usually.

Mules are produced by breeding a jackass to a female horse and they arrive with the long ears, slender legs and smaller feet of the jackass and the larger body of the horse.

Most mules are brown but there are reds, blacks and a few grays. The best mules came from Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. Mule breeding in those states was a major industry and they were sold throughout the South.

Mules were absolutely necessary for successful farming until the forties and fifties. After WWII gas powered tractors rapidly replaced the mule until its very existence came into question.

I remember when a matched pair of mules from Tennessee or Missouri, were a treasured possession in South Georgia where I grew up.

Mules come in all sizes, based on the sizes of the Jack and the horse. A large draft horse bred to a large Jack will produce a large mule.

We had a large draft horse on our farm and Daddy decided to breed her to a Jack and raise his own mule. Jim resulted from that union and that mule immediately set out to prove that all rumors about mules being kind, gentle and patient were — rumors. Simply put Jim was a terror from the day he came into the world.

At the time we also had an ole mule named Rowdy who was in his twenties, getting old for a mule. We also had a female mule named Stella who was the sweetheart of the stable. Stella was about the gentlest animal anyone could ever hope to see. Both of them hated the rambunctious Jim.

Before he reached his first birthday Daddy had him neutered by the local vet. I remember watching as he lay on the floor of that barn all trussed up in those leather straps. When he let out a scream I had never heard before I remember a chill running up my back. I am convinced Jim decided right then and there to get even with everyone who was even present that day. Hatred burned in his eyes and it never left.

Breaking him to ride proved impossible. My older brother Aubrey tried it but Jim quickly proved that breaking a mule was not as easy as one might think.

Training him to plow was not much easier. He delighted in doing everything wrong. When I was about twelve Aubrey and I were planting corn. Jim and I were leading with the guano distributor while Aubrey and Stella followed with the planter. Jim was supposed to walk the furrow as we deposited the fertilizer.

The guano distributor made a loud knocking sound as it shook the guano from the tank. Jim didn’t like the sound. He became more and more agitated and about 30 minutes later he decided it was time to show me he had had enough. He suddenly broke into a run. I dropped one of the guidelines (ropes) and looped the other around both my hands. I pulled hard, effectively yanking his head to one side. That turned him into a running circle. Around and around we went until the furrows were a royal mess. When he finally ran out of gas I led him to the end of the row, tied him to a fence post with one rope and using the other rope I proceeded to teach that mule a lesson.

I worked him over for about 15 minutes, not actually doing any physical damage but stinging him with every swing. Suddenly I heard a voice, “what are you doing to my mule?” I knew who it was without even looking. Our father didn’t believe you could teach a dumb animal anything with a beating but as I was to quickly learn, that belief didn’t extend to boys.

That mule and I hated each other from that day forward — until Daddy finally sold the farm and we moved into the little farming village. The best thing for me about moving away from that farm was getting away from Jim. He went with the farm. I hope he died happy.

A SENATE SICKNESS!!

WILLIAM PENN FALLIN
COLUMNIST
DOUGLAS, GA ENTERPRISE
NATCHITOCHES, LA TIMES
CAMDEN COUNTY, GA COURIER

A SENATE SICKNESS!!

Last week, like many of you, I watched most of the proceedings of the Senate Confirmation Hearing for Supreme Court Nominee Judge Samuel Alito. What I witnessed was something I hoped I would never see again. What I witnessed was a sickness of humanity, a debasing exhibition of man’s mistreatment of man. It was a decadent spectacle not often found in our history. I watched as US Senators literally struggled to reach previously unvisited depths of depravity.

For some reason I expect members of the United States Senate to conduct themselves with a decorum that includes common decency, truthfulness, respect for fellow men and everyday courtesy. Obviously my expectations were off the mark.

Judge Samuel Alito has a 15 year record on the US Court of Appeals and has ruled on thousands of cases. His ability to rule on a case at hand according to the Constitution should be clearly obvious from those rulings. His intellect and his legal skills are out there in front for anyone who is interested enough to read about them. His qualifications are questioned by almost no one. His character was affirmed by former colleagues both Republican and Democratic.

However, a certain segment of Senate Democratic leftists showed no interest in his qualifications. Their only interest was in trying to defeat a man who will likely rule according to the Constitutionality of the case at hand.

In the past the Senate has generally limited itself to confirming the actual qualifications of a Supreme Court appointee and then voting. Until recently that body refrained from indulging in appointee character assassination. That respected practice was totally abandoned last week in the Alito hearings. The leftists came close during the hearings for Chief Justice John Roberts and finally managed to raise the hackles of disgust among America’s voters during their performance against Alito. It could come back to haunt them in future elections.

Bill Clinton made two appointments, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980. The senate determined she was qualified to serve on the Supreme Court and approved her 97-3. By so doing they seated a left wing ideologue who has never voted any way other than on the extreme left of every issue.

Judge Stephen Breyer, a liberal of the Goldburg political ilk was also approved by a vote of 87-9 with 4 abstentions. Both Breyer and Ginsburg were nominated by President Bill Clinton. Clinton had indicated he would nominate liberal judges if he was elected and he did what he promised.

George W. Bush told America’s voters that if he had the opportunity to name Supreme Court justices he would appoint people whose treatment of Constitutional issues would likely be along the lines of conservative Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Bush was elected twice and he has done what he promised the voters. His nominations deserve confirmation by a margin similar to those enjoyed by Ginsburg and Breyer.

Chief Justice Roberts was finally confirmed by a vote of 78-22. From what I saw last week those democrats sitting on that committee will likely be among the group who refuse to vote for a qualified man. They much prefer political zealots. They clearly showed they want no one who passes muster with Mr. Bush regardless of the fact he won two elections.

Those 22 democrats voting against Justice John Roberts were:

Akaka (D-HI), Bayh (D-IN), Biden (D-DE), Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Clinton (D-NY), Corzine (D-NJ), Dayton (D-MN), Durbin (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA), Harkin (D-IA), Inouye (D-HI), Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Mikulski (D-MD), Obama (D-IL), Reed (D-RI), Reid (D-NV), Sarbanes (D-MD) Schumer (D-NY), Stabenow (D-MI)

(Committee members are in highlighted letters.)

It should also be noted that 22 Democrats voted FOR Justice Roberts.

I expect at least as many to vote against Judge Samuel Alito and for no reason other than he was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. They cannot accept the possibility that Alito is likely to support adherence to the Constitution. That, in the eyes of the typical leftist, is contrary to their drive to move this nation into socialism.

Leftists insist on Supreme Court Justices who will MAKE LAW from the bench, especially in those cases where they themselves fail to do so in the halls of Congress. That practice must be stopped if our nation and its Constitution are to survive.

The US Senate is no longer very noble in the eyes of this observer. Nothing appears to deter the leftists from their goal of making a mockery of what has been for 200 years a respectable procedure of that once noble body.