From the 'been there, heard that' department we have a State Democratic Administration blasting the Federal government for inappropriate action in a case where they share much of the responsibility.  In this case a raid of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS (not 'undocumented workers') that took place in New Bedford, MA. 

I would have posted the link but subscription is required so I am am sorry this is long but it is well worth the read just to get to the punch line in the paragraph at the end.  BTW....this was in the Boston Globe and the writer is generally a far left loon who's opinions I do not much care for so I give her credit for calling the administration to task on this one. 

A lapse in planning
By Eileen McNamara, Globe Columnist  |  March 14, 2007

Federal immigration agents first briefed senior members of the incoming Patrick administration about plans to raid a Massachusetts sweatshop that employed undocumented workers last December, days before Governor Deval Patrick even took office.

In the following two months, there were face-to-face meetings and conference calls between state officials and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to discuss the potential human as well as legal consequences of the planned roundup of laborers working illegally at the Michael Bianco Inc. leather factory in New Bedford.

Patrick himself was told in February that the raid would target the defense contractor that was using a largely undocumented female workforce to make safety vests for US soldiers in Iraq. Commissioner Harry Spence of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services was told a raid was coming several days before it occurred. The night before the sweep, Bruce Foucart, the ICE agent in charge of the operation, spoke with Spence to coordinate law enforcement and child protection aspects of the raid.

So, enough with the breast-beating pretense that the Patrick administration was blindsided by the stealth tactics of shadowy federal immigration officials. This is political grandstanding of the most transparent kind.

For all the focus on the aftermath of the raid, precious little attention has been paid to its planning. The state did play a part in that process, Spence's splenetic attacks on ICE and his denials of state responsibility notwithstanding.

Massachusetts Public Safety Secretary Kevin Burke said yesterday that he and others in the administration raised questions about the children of detainees from the first meeting with Foucart and his team on Dec. 29. "They were very nice, but very vague," Burke said. "We were assured there wouldn't be any problems. . . . Next time, the state will press more for details in the beginning."

It is reasonable to ask why the state did not press more this time. Patrick did not hesitate to appeal directly to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to allow DSS social workers access to the detainees after the raid. Why, then, did he not call Chertoff before the raid to insist that the necessary precautions to protect children be in place?

Immigration authorities denied a request by Spence to allow state social workers to accompany agents during the raid, Foucart said, "because this was a law enforcement action."

"I couldn't have them interviewing people at a crime scene," he said. "I was happy to set up a triage center at the New Bedford DSS office. I assigned one of our agents there to help sort out any problems. It is just not true that we failed to coordinate with DSS."

The decision to keep the social workers out of the building "left the state between a rock and a hard place," said Burke, the longtime Essex district attorney. "It's a federal operation. Am I going to beat up law enforcement officials for that? No."

No need. Spence has the blame game covered. On Monday, he continued blasting ICE agents for a lack of cooperation and for providing a public account of events that, he charged, "has been completely different from the truth."

Given the state's performance, that is almost funny. As late as yesterday afternoon Nancy Fernandez Mills, communications director for the Patrick administration, was insisting that "the governor was not told and did not know the raid was happening until it was going on" and that "DSS did not know about this raid until it was in progress."

Told that, in fact, members of Patrick's Cabinet had briefed him about the operation weeks ago and that Spence had participated in a conference call with ICE the day before the raid -- a fact the commissioner himself acknowledged in yesterday's newspapers -- she reconsidered: "I'd like to retract that statement until I talk to someone who actually knows something about this timeline."

It is going to be a long four years."

Iguana Spring Break Update - 2007

Spring Break has almost destroyed us here.  Can't take three steps without falling over a lounge lizard debauched and hung over.

The boyz are getting ready for the Pirate season - thinking about banana leaf boat repairs.  Rains start soon.

They have so far evidenced zero interest in elections, Presidential visits or Attorneys.

ACA

...

Quoted from:  'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)

And now, today's Bracket-Busting edition of the Shrub Report®:

Happy Ides of March, everybody!

President's Bush holds one last meeting, one last stop before coming home from Latin America.

Terrorist admits role in 9/11, Amnesty International claims getting back shaved is a form of torture.

Fitzgerald doesn't play well with others.

The Cold War, Part Deux.

Wait a second. I thought the Democrats were going to clean up Washington?

Hugo Chavez: nothing personal you White Capitalist Pig Dog Devil.

The Bush Implosion continues. Bush on Sweaty Teddy: "one of the best legislative senators there is"…. Huh?

Here is an interesting piece on naming things after corrupt politicians.

Al Franken tests new campaign strategy to reach voters…

An Air America update: a slap on the wrist.

The poverty/terror myth.

Happy 52nd, David Daniel Snider!

Nobody rewards failure like Liberals.

The latest in Muslim evening wear.

Awww! Nothing is cuter than little Palestinian kids!

Turning the tables on Marxist educators.

And you think the people in your town can't drive for crap in the snow….

And, finally,

Iran threatens to usurp France as having most inept military (h/t Confederate Yankee).

Did Howard Dean Commit Treason?

This is what he said today.....

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has been meeting with world leaders to repair "the extraordinary damage" that the Bush administration has done to America's image and to prepare the way for a new Democratic president.

"I am trying to build relationships with other governments in preparation for a Democratic takeover," Dean told me. "I want to make clear that there is an opposition in America and that we are ready to take power and that when we do, we are going to have much better relationships with them."

This is so outrageous!

What media source do you all considered to be the least biased? Television and print. If not an entire network or paper, maybe a particular writer, host or show.

Does NewsBusters endorse a certain source as most fair?

Back by popular demand (ok, a vote of one)...

THE BORDER REPORT

Dateline Gilbert, AZ:

3 valley teens where stopped for drag racing by local police.  During questioning it was revealed that these teens were not legal citizens.  Responding officers contacted ICE and the youths were detained and then deported back to Mexico.  Although Gilbert Police have not yet participated, many law enforcement officers throughout the state, in cooperation with ICE, are being instructed on proper handling and arresting of suspected illegals in a joint effort to help stem the flow of illegal immigrants into our state.

Hmmm. Let's see if this link can get people 1/4 as worried as me! Here's a quote: "In dollar terms, that means the U.S. needs to attract $3 billion to $4 billion per day to balance its payments. If it fails to, the dollar will weaken over time, potentially driving up inflation and interest rates." That's a lot of dollars, every day...
JMR