The St. Petersburg Times ran an article about Hazleton, Pennsylvania where the mayor has proposed making English the official language and to fine those who employ illegal aliens. The Hispanic population in Hazleton has grown tenfold since 2000 and now makes up one-third of the town. They write:

It's about time, some longtime Hazleton residents are saying. About time someone did something to stop these people from acting so brazen, walking around like they own the place. Staring you down on the street, making you stop your car to let them cross.

Even some Hispanics who usually support the mayor are nervous, because who can tell just by looking whether a brown-skinned person is here legally or illegally? Your citizenship status doesn't matter to the guy in line at the doughnut place, who says: These people are everywhere. They're like cockroaches.

Notice anything missing? Quotation marks? Names?

One type of journalism is where the reporter talks to people in the town and when they say things the reporter quotes and attributes them to a person or maybe even keeps them anonymous if there is cause. The other type of journalism already knows what people must think and the reporter quotes the voices in his or her head. This goes past various levels of editors who also think it is a good idea. The Times could not deduce that one way to tell if "a brown-skinned person is here illegally" is whether or not they can speak English, a requirement of citizenship.

If you thought the folks at the Los Angeles Times would use the Fourth of July to take a day off from spewing their usual bias and vitriol, think again. Readers of today's op-ed page (Tuesday, July 4, 2006) in the Times are greeted to this piece of bitterness by Mark Kurlansky, "Fathers don't always know best" (The title comes from the print edition; online, the title is, "WWFFD? Who cares?" We have already written about the discrepancy between the print and online titles at the Times here.).

Apparently, Kurlansky is not too impressed by the very people who founded our nation. He begins his column by listing reasons why the United States is such a horrible "backward democracy." And the blame, implies Kurlansky, lies at the feet of the Founding Fathers (emphasis mine):

Today, America celebrates her independence from the British. Many journalists, liberal and conservative, have offered their opinions about the history of this event, and what it means 230 years later, at newspapers, websites, and blogs across the fruited plain.

At the extraordinarily liberal Huffington Post, people like Congressman Jack Murtha and Senator John Kerry took the opportunity to discuss what they believe patriotism is.

So did actor Alec Baldwin. However, in his case, he chose to share a dream of his wherein he kills Osama bin Laden, and, depending on how far bin Laden falls, Vice President Dick Cheney.

As a courtesy to those who would prefer not to be offended by such drivel on this day, his dream will be posted in the “Read More” section. However, before we get there, on this Independence Day, Baldwin also wanted his readers to know that “Bush/Cheney stole both the 2000 and the 2004 elections with the help of the Supreme Court in one and Diebold in the other.”

Nice thoughts on Independence Day, no? Now, to Alec’s patriotic fantasy on this Fourth of July:

"We have to put our own lives on the line, and I'm willing to do that," said activist Diane Wilson, who pledged to fast until the United States withdraws from Iraq.

Dearborn said 2,700 other activists nationwide, including actors Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, would work as a relay team passing the fast daily from one to another."

Above from the article from Reuters linked at Drudge.

1. I don't get how I'm supposed to be moved by a hunger strike.

2. Note that the anti-war Hollyweirdos are participating by "passing the fast".

3. Do you think anyone will actually maintain the fast until we leave Iraq? If some of these people die, am I supposed to feel bad about it?

A 9/11 for truth member was threatened recently with attacks to his family and namely children. They told him to remove a journal artcile that he put up on journalof911studies.org

What is important here is what they wanted him to take down. He wrote the article along with video and pictoral evidence of a 3rd unknown plane flying around the world trade center buildings. I strongly suggest you take a look at his article and watch the videos. The article is called "The Flying Elephant."

www.journalof911studies.org

http://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/PressRelease_2Jul2006.html