The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman are fighting Boeing's protest of the $40 billion tanker contract that our Air Force outsourced to the European company that owns Airbus. It’s incredibly idiotic that we are witnessing two of this country’s few remaining defense and aerospace companies, Northrop Grumman and Boeing, put into position where they are competing against each other instead of driving this economy, and doing so to the benefit of Airbus and EADS. How much more negative to our national interest can this situation be? - from loudobbs.com

Remember back when Iran was led by the Shaw and the US sold him a bunch of F-16 fighters or when Venezuela was in favor and the US sold them airplanes too? 

Do you remember what happened? 

They fell out of favor with the US government and the US government refused to sell either country any spare parts for the airplanes they sold them. Those airplanes shortly became useless. 

If the US military and President allow other countries, even our "current" friends, to produce any vital military hardware they not only give away American jobs, diminish the skilled manufacturing work force they directly put the US military capabilities at the whim of foreign governments. 

This is either a case of immense short sighted stupidity or treason. 

CONGRESS AT IT AGAIN They Are Not To Be Trusted; We Must Be Vigilant

The Official Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
Article - Government Action related to Illegal immigration
Immigration Enforcement and Border Security Bill Package

Immigration Enforcement and Assimilation
Republican Bill Roll Out
12 members; 15 bills total

1. Senator Sessions (3 bills)

Sessions Bill 1: Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Entry (and Expansion of Operation Streamline)

Under current law, illegal entry at the border is a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony thereafter, but no jail time is required by statute or routinely served. The successful implementation of “Operation Streamline” – a zero tolerance prosecution policy now in place in 4 of the 20 Southern border sectors – has shown the significant deterrent effect that imposing jail time can have on illegal entries. In sectors where jail time is routinely imposed, illegal crossings have decreased by as much as 68%. To expedite and multiply Operation Streamline’s success, this bill requires DHS and DOJ to implement the zero tolerance policy in all 20 border sectors by the end of 2009, and creates statutory mandatory minimums for illegal entry, reentry, and destruction of border barriers or infrastructure. Specifically, mandatory minimums include:

1. 10 days for first illegal entry (364 day max)
2. 30 days for second illegal entry (2 years max)
3. 90 days for third and subsequent illegal entries (3 years max)
4. 60 days for reentry after removal or departure (2 years max)
5. 1 year for reentry after removal or departure if convicted of 3 or more misdemeanors or a felony prior to removal or departure (10 years max)
6. 2 years for reentry after removal or departure if convicted a felony prior and served 30 months in prison prior to removal or departure (15 years max)
7. 4 years for reentry after removal or departure if convicted a felony prior and served 60 months in prison prior to removal or departure (20 years max)
8. 4 years for reentry after removal or departure if convicted of 2 or more felonies prior to removal or departure (20 years max)
9. 5 years for reentry after removal or departure if convicted of murder, rape, kidnapping, or a felony related to peonage, slavery, or terrorism (20 years max)
10. 5 years for damaging or destroying border infrastructure or fencing installed by the United States government

Sessions Bill 2: Permitting DHS Use of Social Security No Match
Letters In Employer Enforcement

On August 10th, DHS issued a new “No-Match” regulation which clarified the responsibilities of employers who receive notice that their employees’ names and Social Security numbers do not match the records at the Social Security Administration. Under the new rule, employers receiving these notices that did not take corrective action could have “constructive knowledge” that they are employing unauthorized aliens. Before the new rule became effective, a California federal judge issued a Temporary Injunction preventing the sending of the revised “no-match” letters with the DHS insert. Proceedings have now been stayed until March 24th, and the Administration is rewriting the rule to address the court’s concerns. This bill will end the legal battle over the new rule by providing clear statutory authority for DHS to use receipt of “no match notices,” followed by an employer’s failure to take advantage of the safe harbor, as evidence that an employer knowingly continued to employ illegal aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. 1324a.

Sessions Bill 3: The Worksite Enforcement Act of 2008

The worksite enforcement system, which relies on the paper I-9 process is undeniably broken. This bill, which mirrors Title II, Subtitle B of Senator Kyl’s S. 2994(The Immigration Enforcement and Border Security Act of 2007, cosponsored by McCain, Cornyn, Graham, Sessions, Martinez, and Specter), will modernize the system and hold employers accountable. Specifically, the bill establishes a mandatory Electronic Employment Verification System (EEVS) for U.S. employers, requires the termination of individuals whose work eligibility cannot be confirmed by DHS, imposes penalties ranging from $5,000 to $75,000 for knowingly hiring illegal aliens, and provides for the hiring of 5,000 DHS personnel to oversee and enforce the new EEVS. Employers that rely on EEVS will be protected from liability. Additionally, the bill knocks down the information sharing wall between SSA and DHS, require SSA to begin issuing fraud proof social security cards.

2. Senator DeMint: The Complete the Fence Act of 2008

Senator DeMint’s bill will require the full 700 miles of fencing required by the Secure Fence Act of 2006 to be completed by the end of 2010. Today, the only deadline in the Act is that the first 370 miles be completed by the end of 2008. Additionally, the bill will clearly state that DHS can not undermine Congress’s intent by counting miles of vehicle barriers / bollards as “vehicle fencing” that counts toward the 700 miles of required southern border pedestrian fencing.

3. Senator Vitter (2 bills)

Vitter Bill 1: No COPS Funding for Sanctuary Cities

Despite a 1996 federal law [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act ( IIRIRA )] that requires local governments to cooperate with Department of Homeland Security''''s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), many large urban cities (and some small) have adopted so-called "sanctuary policies." The Vitter No COPS funding for Sanctuary cities bill will restrict Community Orientated Policing Services Programs (COPS) funding from being appropriated in any act for cities that participate in “sanctuary policies” whereby law enforcement officials are barred from asking suspects about their immigration status or reporting them to Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE).

Vitter Bill 2: Close Financial Loopholes

This bill would close the loophole that allowed the 9/11 hijackers to obtain credit cards from the United States banks that financed their terrorist activities, ensure that illegal immigrants cannot obtain credit cards while in the U.S., and prohibit the Mexican Matricula Consular Card from being accepted by U.S. banks as a valid form of identification. Under the Vitter bill, U.S. banks will be prohibited from opening a new account for an individual without a valid: a) social security card b) passport number and the country of issuance c) an alien identification card number. This bill would also stop banks and financial institutions from allowing those with the Matricula Consular Card to open accounts. The Matricula Consular Card is an identification card issued by the Mexican Government. An estimated million Mexicans living in the United States now carry the card, a large number of those being Mexican nationals illegally residing in the United States. Mexican’s in this country legally have green cards, state drivers licenses, or passports/visa and have no need for the Matrucula Card.

4. Senator Inhofe: The National Language Act of 2008 of 2008

OMB estimates that the U.S. government spends between one and two billion dollars per year on the entitlement to receive federal materials and services in any language. This entitlement stems from an Executive Order issued by President Clinton (E.O. 13166). A number of court cases, including Supreme Court cases, have effectively nullified the Clinton Executive order; however, due to residual ambiguity regarding this issue, the government continues to grant expensive translation entitlements. The National Language Act of 2008 resolves the issue by making English the national language of the U.S., and clarifying that there is no entitlement to receive federal documents and services in languages other than English unless explicitly required by statutory law. The bill is different that Senator Inhofe’s English bill introduced in 2007, but and closely resembles the English amendment he offered on the floor during the comprehensive reform debate.

5. Senator Domenici: The National Border Guard Act of 2008

National Guardsmen and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have achieved significant successes through Operation Jump Start, the deployment of the National Guard to the border since 2006. The plan benefits both Guardsmen, who receive training through the program, and CBP, which receives support for its border security work. However, Operation Jump Start is being phased out – the 6000 Guardsmen on the Southwest border in the summer of 2007 are planned for elimination by the summer of 2008. The Domenici National Guard Border Bill requires that Operation Jump Start continue with 6,000 Guardsmen on our Southwest border until we have control of the border and also allows Governors to utilize their own Guardsmen on the north and south borders for border control activities.

6. Senator Chambliss / Isakson: The Effective Immigration
Enforcement Partnerships Act of 2008

State and local law enforcement officials, critical force multipliers in the fight against illegal immigration, are underutilized by their federal partners. Avenues to voluntarily provide assistance in enforcing our federal immigration laws during their normal course of duties are limited. To facilitate the formation of effective enforcement partnerships with state and local law enforcement by: clarifying their authority to enforce federal immigration laws during the normal course of duty; expanding the 287(g) program to every state; offering a basic training course for all state and local law enforcement officers; compensating state and local entities for immigration enforcement related expenses; and expanding the National Crime Information Center’s (NCIC) Immigration Violators File to include aliens against whom a final order of removal has been issued, aliens who have signed a voluntary departure agreement, aliens who have overstayed their authorized period of stay; and aliens whose visas have been revoked.

7. Senator Barrasso: Discouraging the Issuance of Drivers
Licenses to Illegal Immigrants Act of 2008 (S. 2334)

Currently, a number of states are knowingly issuing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Other states that do not have the controls in place to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining driver’s licenses. Senator Barrasso’s bill will require states to verify an applicant’s social security number with the Social Security Online Verification System (SSOLV) and verify immigration status through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE). States that are noncompliant will have 10-percent of their highway funding withheld and that withheld money will be redistributed to compliant states.

8. Senator Dole (2 bills)

Dole Bill 1: Safe Roads Enhancement Act of 2008

The Dole bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that repeat drunk driving is classified as an aggravated felony without to regard to how such violation is classified under State law, provides that any alien with 1 conviction for drunk driving is ineligible for any visa or admission to the United States, and provides that any alien with 1 conviction for drunk driving is deportable from the United States.

Dole Bill 2: Repeal of Clinton Executive Order 13166

This Dole bill provides for express repeal of President Clinton’s executive order requiring federal agencies to provide assistance to persons of limited English proficiency in their native language, and restricts the use of any funds to enforce an entitlement to government services in a language other than English.

9. Senator Specter: Sanctions for Countries That Refuse To
Repatriate Their Nationals

Senator Specter’s bill requires reports to Congress (every 90 days) on the countries which refuse or inhibit repatriation of their nationals. Receipt of the report automatically triggers denial of certain foreign aid as well as suspension of visa issuances to the listed countries. The bill puts the burden on the Administration to request an exception and justify it to Congress. It also grants standing to enforce the bill to victims of crimes committed by the non-repatriated criminal aliens. However, it does not permit damages to be awarded.

10. Senator Alexander: The Strengthening American Citizenship
Act of 2008

The Strengthening American Citizenship Act is an essential part of any immigration bill because it addresses what happens after one lawfully becomes a resident of this country and begins to think about lawfully becoming a citizen. This legislation will help legal immigrants who are prospective American citizens learn our common language and learn about our ways of government. We have a motto on the Senate wall that says, ‘One from many.’ It doesn''''t say ‘Many from one.’ We are very proud of our magnificent diversity in this country, and unity is harder than diversity. What unites us is our common language and our understanding of what it means to be an American.

11. Senator Coburn: The Identifying and Deporting Aliens In
Federal, State, and Local Jails Act of 2008

Twenty seven percent of the federal prison population is composed of non-U.S. citizens, individuals that committed crimes after they (illegally or legally) entered the country. The mission of DHS’s Criminal Alien Program is to identify criminal aliens incarcerated in federal, state, and local facilities, evaluate if they can be removed at the end of their sentence, and coordinate a seamless transition from prison to DHS deportation proceedings so that criminal aliens are not released back into society. Despite this important mission, DHS is only just beginning to effectively implement the Criminal Alien Program. This bill, titled the “The Identifying and Deporting Incarcerated Aliens Act of 2008” will require DHS and DOJ to fully evaluate the 27% of the federal prison population that are non-citizens for removable criminal aliens by the end of 2010, and to fully evaluate the state and local prison populations for removable criminal aliens by the end of 2012. Without full expansion of the Criminal Alien Program into every federal, state and local prison facility, criminal aliens will undoubtedly slip through the cracks and be released at the end of their sentences, instead of being transferred to DHS custody and promptly deported.

Sessions (3), DeMint (1), Vitter (2), Inhofe (1), Domenici (1), Chambliss (1) , Barrasso (1), Dole (2),
Specter (1), Alexander (1), Coburn (1). TOTAL = 11 members introducing 15 bills.