I'm Sorry, But I'm Not Sorry

In today's fish wrap there is another sob story of an immigrant family being torn apart by the big, bad immigration agency. Page 1 of the California section tells the story of Michael Campo, 10, and his father Carlos Alvarado. You gotta love the picture in the paper (missing in the on-line edition): Michael is holding hands with his dad's shadow, foretelling what the future holds for him.

What propaganda, and what a lie.

Read deep into the article carefully. What the story is really about is how a parent's selfish behavior is to blame for harming their child, not ICE.

Buried deep on page B6, (where the photo of dad isn't a shadow), is this line:

Alvarado, who has a work permit and has been with the same plastering company
for 13 years, also pays for Michael's health insurance.

Alvarado landed in immigration court after violating probation on prior convictions of
driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.

Mr. Alvarado had a work permit. He wasn't illegal. He just chose to keep breaking the law; he was on probation! Deportation proceedings didn’t begin until he repeatedly broke the law.

Using the LA Times logic:

• Divorced fathers, who break the law, are put on probation, who then violate probation and are sent back to jail, shouldn't have to go because it will harm their parent/child bond.
• Criminal parents shouldn't be sent to prisons that are inconveniently located from where the kids live as it will cost the family time and money to visit.
• Criminal parents shouldn't have to take responsibility for their actions, after all, they need to be there for their kids.

How's this: Parents, be responsible and don't commit crimes. Put your children’s' welfare before your own and stay out of jail.

And, Michael, when your dad is deported to Mexico with his new girlfriend and kids, know in your heart that America didn't do this to you. Your dad did this to you and to himself. For that, I am sorry.

Scrapping the Bottom of the TV Barrel

I am one of the 12 people who still subscribes to TV Guide. Call it bathroom reading, but I admit it, I still like it.

This week’s cover makes me sick, as do all the advertising for the hideous new “FAMILY” show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, brought to us by the makers of 7th Heaven.

My question is: Whose family is ABC attempting to attract with this show? What does ABC expect us to do? Gather ‘round the TV during the “family hour” from 8:00 – 9:00 pm and explain to our pre-teens all about sex and teenage pregnancy?? I predict those watching the show will be the girls from dysfunctional families looking to identify with a family that is definitely not their own. Pregnant teens wishing their moms were more like Molly Ringwald than Lynne Spears.

My favorite aspect of the show is that the pregnant girl is not the “stereotypical” knocked-up teen that we usually see in the real world: a poor girl raised in the hood by her single mother on welfare with no dad in the picture; a broken family where dad has moved on to his new family, and mom is more concerned about finding the next “him” than raising her kids; a dysfunctional “intact” family where there is sexual abuse or drug addiction/alcoholism that no one really talks about; or a family where the parents are so self-absorbed that no one is raising the kids.

In ABC’s fictional family, the daughter is the “good girl,” and while the family is not perfect, these parents are definitely not members of the Spears or Lohan clans either.

ABC wants to indoctrinate America that those of us who are the “nice” families are susceptible to teen pregnancies. Of course we are, but it is far from likely or typical. ABC wants us to accept that families like mine, where the mom and dad love each other, are affectionate and spend lots of times with the kids will end up with knocked-up teens. Really? Then what’s the use of parents who will actually raise their own kids rather than letting someone else raise them? Parents who provide the necessities, and more, but also instill core values that will aid their children in making their own good decisions in life? How about this is what we do to inoculate our kids against the garbage of ABC.

Come on, now. Is this what we need on TV today? With 17 girls pregnant at a Gloucester high school, whether they had a pact or not; with ex-USC student Holly Ashcraft, who keeps tossing her babies in the trash, getting off with only a slap on the wrist; with 70% of black children born out of wedlock. This is the best that ABC has to offer America?

According to the CDC:

In 2005, Washington, D.C., had the highest teen birth rate in the country (63.4 per 1,000), and states Texas and New Mexico with the highest rates (61.6 each); New Hampshire had the lowest teen birth rate (17.9).4 In 2006, the overall birth rate for 15– to 19– year-old females was 41.9, but— the rate was

• 83 among Hispanics (twice the overall rate),
• 63.7 among non-Hispanic blacks (however, blacks have a slightly higher
  teen pregnancy rate than Hispanics),
• 54.7 among American Indian or Alaska Natives, and
• 26.6 among non-Hispanic whites.

But back to ABC and their “family” television circa 2008. I just don’t know whose family they’re talking about.

I thank God that growing up I was exposed to the idealized families, whether it was Ozzie & Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, Little House on the Prairie or even the The Addams Family. They gave me hope that there was a different family structure than mine.

Oh, and don’t get me going on Swingers. As a child growing up in that part of the 70s, I can assure you that self-absorbed parents more concerned about “finding” themselves and doing whatever “felt” good at the moment, well, those are the families that end up with teenaged-pregnant daughters, drug addicted sons, and alcoholic pre-teens who are lost in the midst of it all.

I really challenge ABC to tell the true story of what teen pregnancy in America really means:

When teens give birth, their future prospects and those of their children decline. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty than other teens. Pregnant teens aged 15–19 years are less likely to receive prenatal care and gain appropriate weight and more likely to smoke than pregnant women aged 20 years or older. These factors are also associated with poor birth outcomes.

Supreme Decision Barr None

Doug McIntyre had a great interview this morning with former Republican, and now Libertarian, presidential candidate Bob Barr. I respect Barr immensely and he is correct on his analysis of the current state of the GOP, especially the elitist attitudes and policies coming out of Washington DC, as well as the lack of true Republican leadership and ideals.

Listening to Barr I started contemplating breaking my vow to my DH to vote for McCain (I swore I'd vote for McCain in November if he voted for Romney in the CA primary over Rudy).

How apt that the interview was interrupted with the breaking news that SCOTUS ruled in favor of 2nd Amendment rights. Considering yesterday's affirmation for child rapists (we're we really surprised by that), I was shocked.

It also reinforced for me that while I am in complete support of Bob Barr and believe that he has the best ideas for moving our country forward and in the right direction, I cannot risk Obama appointing any judges, especially to the Supreme Court of this land.

I will ink stamp my name next to McCain on November 4th. I will not hold my nose while doing so. I might not put a bumper sticker on my car, but I will do my duty as a proud Republican.

Where For Art Thou, Walter Moore

According to the Daily News, prior to Doug McIntyre's program this morning, Tony V has no announced challengers in the upcoming mayoral elections.

The invitation-only champagne reception is expected to raise tens of thousands of dollars for Villaraigosa's re-election campaign next spring. As of now, the mayor has no announced challenger.

Hellllloooo, I think Walter Moore has been serenading me every morning for months now on KABC.

I tried all morning to locate the story in the Daily News. Thanks to Mayor Sam for posting the story of the story being cleansed and edited.

The Wild, Wild Westside

Well, here we sit waiting for the SCOTUS to rule on the 2nd Amendment. Now, this might be a product of my Westside upbringing, but I’m not a gun nut … yet I don’t hate them either. I’ve always felt that there need to be reasonable laws, training, etc. I don’t feel strongly for or against handgun registration. But, with Obama as a potential president I might need to rethink my position on that one.

The funny thing is chatting with a gal pal of mine over the weekend, she coyly brought up that her husband is newly into guns. HOORAY. I yelled. Now my DH has someone to go play with at the shooting range.

It also got me thinking about the phone call I received last week, “Hey, Westside Conservative, you’re a Republican, right?” She came out of the closet right then and there. Added her to my speed dial.

So it appears that I am not alone on LA’s Westside. There are three of us, lol. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone, we might not get invited to Obama’s next $30,000 per person fundraising event.

Obama's Seal of Disapproval

Barack, Barack, Barack. Who is running your campaign and making these decisions. I admit, what's bad for you is great for us ... McCain can use all the help he can. But really, plagiarizing the Presidential Seal?

Whoever, except as authorized under regulations promulgated by the President and published in the Federal Register, knowingly manufactures, reproduces, sells, or purchases for resale, either separately or appended to any article manufactured
or sold, any likeness of the seals of the President or Vice President, or any substantial part thereof, except for manufacture or sale of the article for the
official use of the Government of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

What's next, Airforce 1.0? The Ecru House? The First Babe?

Slow down buddy. It's only June 21st ... keep making mistakes like this and Hillary might rise out of the ashes. Afterall, she only SUSPENDED her campaign.

Jamiel Shaw Wasn’t Perfect

Wow. Turns out that Jamiel Shaw was an imperfect kid growing up in this screwed up City of Angels. Jamiel didn't grow up in my LA filled with pool parties, beaches and shopping in Century City. He grew up in the "drive by" areas of our city ... somewhere east of Robertson and before you hit downtown. You know, all those mile markers along the 10 Freeway where we used to get off to go to grandma's house, before grandma moved west of Robertson. La Cienega, Fairfax, La Brea, Crenshaw. Streets we cringe at when we have to get off there to go to The Grove or into West Hollywood for dinner at Gordon Ramsay's new restaurant. Neighborhoods we lock our doors, look straight ahead and pray that we hit Wilshire soon.

Jamiel’s parents were raising him right in the wrong place. Is anyone shocked that he had gang ties? Can anyone growing up East of Robertson and South of Olympic not have some relationship with the gangs? Does any of this take away from the fact that a young kid, a promising athlete, was murdered by an illegal alien gang banger with BK (Blood Killer) tattooed behind his ear?

When kicking back in our $500 Lakers seats, or watching any pro-football game on TV (because God forbid LA actually get a football team to fill some arena that has yet to be built), we’re just looking at the lucky kids … the kids that escaped from the same types of neighborhoods that killed Jamiel.

How many other Jamiels are out there? Good kids just trying to survive in a city that is so unforgiving.

Obama Rejects Public Financing

Once again, Obama shows how naïve he is when it comes to national politics. He is giving way too much fodder to McCain’s team (who needs as much fodder as they can get, so fine by me). It now appears that “he was for public financing before he was against it.”

Obama must believe he is capable of raising hundreds of millions of dollars to take on McCain in November, otherwise why would he risk this move? How in today’s economy, with $5.07 gas at the Shell station on the corner of Grand & Olympic, could his handlers even begin to THINK that this is a good idea?

Obama, will the underclass that you purport to represent, the same “victims” of the economy, bad home loans, lack of education, oppression by “Big Oil,” the same people you will be hitting up for these campaign contributions, stand up and say, “What the hell are you doing? How can you spend $100, $200, or $300 million to win an election when I have to pay $5.07 for premium gas?”

Really, Obama, who will you and your campaign target to raise this money? Corporate America? Elitist America? We “rich” Americans who should be paying more taxes? I think we're all planning on voting for McCain.

Please, Team-Obama, keep the good ideas coming ... we can use all the help you can give us.

Pass Me a Slice of Wedding Cake

In a couple hours gay marriage will be legal in California. Unlike most conservatives, I just have to say Mazel Tov.

Here’s where the libertarian in me comes out. I just don’t believe the government should be involved in issuing marriage licenses at all.

When my husband and I got married, in a church, we had the religious ceremony and the certificate we filed with the State of California. Two separate events. That state issued piece of paper means nothing. It was committing ourselves to one another, before God, our friends and family that had meaning. Having to get a certificate of marriage was just an additional pain-in-the-ass thing to do before the wedding.

I don't see how if the government issues me a certificate to marry a man, they can't issues Bill a certificate to marry a man. So Bill will be eligible for Sam's social security benefits. Wow. That hurt me and my marriage. Not really. But, then again, I don't believe in Social Security so that's probably a bad example.

At the end of the day, I believe that the government should confine itself to doing the least amount of harm possible. Police, Fire and Roads. I suggest that they start by paving the street in front of my daughter’s school.

But really, when it comes to the sanctity of marriage, heterosexuals have damaged the “sanctity” of it all by ourselves. When so many marriages end in divorce, who are we to take the higher ground on who can and cannot get married?

The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%

A more shocking, and sad, statistic comes from the US Census, which notes that between 1990-1994 only one in 10 black children conceived before marriage are born in wedded bliss.

For Black women under age 30, the percentage of first births either born or conceived before first marriage doubled from 43 percent during the 1930-34 period to 86 percent during 1990-94 (Table 2). In both periods, the majority of premaritally conceived first births to Black women were born out of wedlock. Only one in 10 Black women who had a premaritally conceived birth in 1990-94 was married by the time of the child's birth compared to one-quarter of these births in the 1930s (Figure 4).

And then there is my Westside family to consider: the Queen of 20st Century Fox has been married five times; Black Fox alum Dad has been married three. Grandpa was married three times, and grandma at least three, if not more. Other grandma had a long-term affair with a married man. Big brother’s been married twice, little sister just got divorced. Big sister is married 20+ years, a record for our clan. And, my other little sister refuses to get married to her longtime boyfriend before gays can … waiting for the invitation now!

Personally, I think my family has done more to harm my marriage than any gay marriage ever will. As for me, darling hubby and I are at 10.5 years and counting!

What a Nightmare

I fell asleep on the couch last night and dreamt that the Lakers blew their 20 point lead over the Celtics, and lost the fricken’ game.

Oh, wait, that wasn’t a dream.

Racking my brain, that had to have been the greatest comeback in Finals history, and beyond that, one of the few great mega-comebacks by a road team in playoffs history. I'm sure they'll have the complete list Friday, but I can't remember watching many ESPN Classic games where the road team made up a deficit that large. Home teams? Yes. Road teams? No. You'll see the road team come roaring back, but they never actually win. This time? They won.

There's a New Sheriff in Town

As mentioned in the past, I'm a third generation Angeleno, which means absolutely nothing other than I have three generations of opinions. My grandmother was born here in 1910 and graduated LA High. My grandfather graduated from Roosevelt. Granny’s parents were the first people on their block to own a car. She would tell stories of the couple hour drive from their house just south of Hancock Park to their summer place in Venice. Funny how that hasn't changed, but traffic isn’t the point of this rant.

What saddens me most about LA is how the racial divide continues to grow, especially on our school campuses.

"A lot of students are depressed because of the conditions in their school," said Anna Exiga, a junior at Jordan High School who was one of the organizers of the survey. "They see that their school is failing them, their teachers are failing them, there's racial tension and gang violence, and also many feel that their schools are not schools -- their schools look more like prisons."

When I was a teen coming of age on the Westside during the 80s, there were racial tensions everywhere we went: At Palms Jr. High, Hamilton High, cruising the streets of Westwood, the UCLA Mardi Gras. In those “good ol’ days” someone might come out a little bloody and bruised. Today, however, looking at someone the wrong way will kill you.

The LA political and MSM machines would lead us to believe that LA is as safe as it was in the 50s. My parents came of age here in the 50s. The only dangers they faced came from my grandfather, who set an alarm clock to make certain Mom made it home by curfew. Don’t really remember the 60s. But, in the 70s, living in the valley, we roamed the streets during the day until it was time to come home for dinner.

That, Tony V, was safe. The streets of LA are not safe for our kids. Just ask Jamiel Shaw Sr.

Now comes Sheriff Lee Baca. I don’t know if he’s getting ready to run for mayor, or if he’s finally decided to differentiate himself from the other drones of LA politics, but Sheriff Baca is admitting what no other LA politician will: racial tensions are killing the kids of our fair city.

Some people deny it. They say that race is not a factor in L.A.'s gang crisis; the problem, they say, is not one of blacks versus Latinos and Latinos versus blacks but merely one of gang members killing other gang members (and yes, they acknowledge, sometimes the gangs are race-based).But they're wrong. The truth is that, in many cases, race is at the heart of the problem. Latino gang members shoot blacks not because they're members of a rival gang but because of their skin color. Likewise, black gang members shoot Latinos because they are brown.

So, let’s tip one up to Sheriff Leroy D. Baca. Sounds to me like there’s a new sheriff in town.

Now, That’s a Murderer

I’m listening to Doug McIntyre’s program this morning and his interview with Vincent Bugliosi. Mr. Bugliosi is plugging his new book accusing George Bush of being a murderer and laying out the case for his prosecution. Talk about summer reading. Keith Olbermamn must be peeing in his pants waiting to get his hands on an advanced copy.

Throwing out the M-word where Bush and the Iraq War are concerned is like dropping the N-word in the middle of an Obama rally. Come on, we can’t have a political discourse if you begin by reducing the conversation to a point I, as a proud conservative, can never go.

I hate that our men and women have died in this war, in any war for that matter. But, war is hell and kids do die in combat. But they also liberated concentration camps and countries invaded by the devil incarnate during WWII. Not to mention freeing the slaves during our own Civil War, and liberating us from King George.

Did Bush lie? I don’t know. I don’t think her purposely “lied,” but I’m sure he was all too happy to believe “truths” that later turned out to be false. Is Bush a murderer? Absolutely not!

I came across this headline today that stopped me dead in my tracks and actually had my mouth agape at my computer:

"Robert Mugabe Militia Hacks, Burns Alive Opposition Leader's Wife"

THAT, Mr. Bugliosi is a murderer. Robert Mugabe, like Saddam Hussein, Hitler and Stalin before him, is a murderer.

George Bush, in our perfected 20/20 hindsight, did not make all the best decisions, had some bad assumption, and yeah, he won't make anyone's Top 10 US Presidents list. But George Bush is no murderer ... and Saddam Hussein had to go.

At the end of the day I hope we can all agree that the world, especially the Iraqi people, is better off without Saddam Hussein. Unfortunately, the underlying tribal hatred within Iraq is stronger than anyone believed possible, and has lead to more problems and issues than we had anticipated, and can deal with. Agreed, we did not handle the post-Saddam portion of the war well. But Bush is no murderer.

I look forward to history’s take on the Iraq War 50 years from now. W, to his credit, stopped the next "Hitler" in his tracks, but he will never be given credit for the lives that were not lost to the torture and rape chambers; to the bombs that will never be sold to terrorist groups and used against innocents; and to the ethnic cleansing that will never happen.