Thursday, February 28, 2008

CM PRESS # 309


NOW HE'S TALKING!

Supervisor John Moorlach, who lives in Costa Mesa, told the OC REGISTER that he's not going to move forward with the proposed annexation by Newport Beach of the Santa Ana Country Club and some nearby homes that have traditionally been in Costa Mesa's sphere of influence. LINK

But what caught our eye in the article was this statement by Mr. Moorlach:

"If I had a choice, I'd change my address to Newport Beach, too.Why don't we just give everything to Newport Beach?"

Amen, Brother!

What do the citizens of Costa Mesa gain by not being part of Newport Beach? Nothing. But, if we were part of that city we'd see immediate improvement and a higher quality of life.

So, let's be the city version of The Duchy of Grand Fenwick and declare war on Newport Beach with the intention that we'll lose the war and then when we lose we'll let them annex all of our neighborhoods. "Ohhhhh, we hate it, we hate it, (wink, wink) we hate it." LINK

Of course, we here in Costa Mesa may be just as incompetent as the folks in The Mouse that Roared and win the war no matter how much we try to lose it. Then, we may end up unimproving Newport and making it more like Costa Mesa instead of the other way around.

Actually, all kidding aside, a combined city makes a lot of sense and residents of both presently separate cities would benefit in many ways as I've outlined in previous issues of the CM PRESS.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

CM PRESS # 308



JUST ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE HOOD
(So, why do whole neighborhoods want to be annexed to Newport Beach and want nothing to do with Costa Mesa?)

The CM PRESS was on the scene last night in the Fillmore-Coolidge slum in Mesa North as the CMPD did a breathalyzer test on a Hispanic male with a shaved head who had apparently just tried to drive his new Chevy pickup truck across the curbs and traffic island on Coolidge only to be hit broadside by another vehicle, also driven by a Hispanic, causing the pickup truck to tip over on its side, blocking the whole street, and in the process seriously damaging two other vehicles parked on Coolidge. MAP

The guy apparently failed the breathalyzer test because he was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car. At that point, we observed two CMPD gang officers take over from the traffic cops and interview the guy at length.

Citizenship status of all involved is not known.

ARE SOME IN THE CMPD PROFILING TO AVOID ILLEGAL ALIENS?

Meanwhile, the CMPD is going to hold another sobriety/license checkpoint from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday in the northbound lane of Santa Ana Avenue at 18th Street. MAP

As we've written before, the CMPD seems to constantly and almost exclusively hold such sobriety/license checkpoints on the EASTSIDE! And, we do mean constantly and almost exclusively on the Eastside.

As you probably know, the demographics of the Eastside would lead a reasonable person to believe that it will be mostly non-Hispanic white folks who will be stopped. And, records we've seen after such Eastside checkpoints show a preponderance of Anglo names.

Now, common sense tells us that most white folks are citizens, not illegal aliens, and that most probably have driver's licenses. So, why put up a license checkpoint where most of the people probably have licenses? Hmmmm?

Why doesn't the CMPD hold these checkpoints where they might actually get people without licenses off our streets--such as in the north part of Costa Mesa or on the Westside?

Who in the CMPD plans and sets up these constant Eastside checkpoints?

Is it the traffic cop who told us that it wasn't a violation of the law for people (suspected illegal aliens) to endanger our kids by parking at red curbs behind Davis School on Presidio Square with their car motors running and with kids running between those cars? MAP

WE GET STOPPED FOR "IMPEDING"

Or, could it be the cop who stopped the CM PRESSMOBILE recently?

Get this. We were leaving a street that was perpendicular to Baker Street. As we were about to turn west on Baker Street, we saw a CMPD police car drive by on Baker going westbound.

We had a feeling the cop recognized us because the police car appeared to brake for a moment. We entered Baker Street and also went westbound. We could see the police car about a half-mile ahead of us going in the same direction as us.

Then, the police car did a sudden illegal u-turn (illegal to you and us, that is) in the middle of Baker Street, passed slowly by us going eastbound, apparently to get a good look at us, did another illegal u-turn behind us and then followed closely behind us (not quite tailgating, but close to it) in the same lane as us for about another half-mile before finally pulling us over by the Target Center at Baker and Harbor. SATELLITE

The cop had no badge or name plate showing. We asked why he pulled us over and he replied that we were "impeding," because the speed limit was 40 mph on Baker and we were going "25 mph" (our actual speed, by our speedometer, was 30 mph which was a safe speed for the conditions and we were in the slow lane and there were no other cars on the street at that time).

"Impeding?" we said. "Don't be ridiculous. There are only two cars on the road, yours and ours, and you went out of your way to do two u-turns so you could follow directly behind us for about half a mile. We've been watching you since before we even turned on to Baker."

"And, you bet we weren't going 40," we continued. "We saw you the moment you passed by when we were entering Baker and we saw you go out of your way to do those two u-turns so you could follow us. We wanted to be damn sure you didn't try to stop us for speeding for going one mile over the speed limit, so we purposely kept our speed a reasonable distance below 40, and it was clear to us you were trying to think up an excuse to stop us."

The cop then demanded our papers, which we gave him. He went back to the police car and came back a few minutes later and gave them back to us.

We asked for his name and badge number a couple of times and he said something odd: "I don't know what kind of conspiracy theory you're working on...." He caught himself up short before finishing the sentence. He then mumbled his name and badge number and finished by saying: "Have a nice day sir," in a sarcastic tone of voice.

No, we didn't get a ticket.

Some have suggested that this may have just been another Return to Reason cop using his badge for political reasons and that his inappropriate and out of the blue conspiracy comment may be an indication of that. Then again, maybe he was just playing the odds and trying to find drunk drivers. We don't know.

What we do know, however, is that most citizens want to support the CMPD but most citizens want to know that the CMPD isn't letting a few political cops use their authority to try to further their political and social goals.

The CM PRESS believes that the City Council should take a look at the demographic records of who is being stopped and who is stopping them. Are there any statistical anomalies that may indicate racial profiling?

Why are there so many checkpoints on the Eastside and so few on the Westside or in the north part of the city?

One of the most successful license checks by the CMPD was held on a weekend morning on Fairview at Baker by former Chief Hensley. Why hasn't there been a single license check there since then?

Is it because too many illegal aliens were stopped? The CM PRESS was there, by the way, and we saw a constant stream of cars (50-60?) being towed away because the drivers didn't have licenses or registrations or proof of insurance or any of the three.

Oh, and by the way, since the CMPD apparently knows that the speed limit on Baker Street is 40 mph, why aren't they enforcing Costa Mesa Municipal Code Sec. 10-374(a)(4) which prohibits vending on streets where the posted speed limit is greater than 35 mph?

There are large vending trucks selling on Baker every day. We know that they have been reported to the CMPD, but the CMPD seems to ignore them.

And, speaking of vending trucks. There are vending trucks in the Fillmore-Coolidge slum and in Katrina Foley's Mesa del Mar Mendoza slum every single day violating at least three or four of our municipal codes every time they're there.

The most common violations are: using sound making devices, double parking, no trash receptacles, letting people into the trucks, staying too long in one spot, too close to intersections, too close to schools, staying in the city after 5 p.m., too close to alleys. And, there are also usually many vehicle equipment violations.

Why isn't the CMPD doing anything? We know they're getting reports of the violations right down to the code numbers of the violations.

Can it be that the CMPD is too busy on the Eastside all the time?

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

CM PRESS # 307


NEWPORT TO ANNEX SANTA ANA COUNTRY CLUB AND NEARBY HOMES

Last night, the Newport Beach City Council voted 6 to 1 to begin the process of annexing the Santa Ana Country Club and some nearby homes with about 1,000 residents.

This is good for the country club and the homeowners but not good for Costa Mesa, which will be losing more good upwardly mobile citizen residents and one of the last upscale magnets outside of South Coast Metro.

Here's the LINK to the OC REGISTER for all the details.

WHAT'S IT MEAN?

Costa Mesa has allowed itself to become an illegal alien sanctuary city with slums, a high crime rate, failing schools, gangs, lower than they should be home values and all the problems of an inner city. People want to flee the influence of our city which seems incapable of changing things.

Of course anyone with half a brain would prefer that his or her neighborhood be annexed to Newport Beach.

Even our present improver majority on the City Council is taking too long to bring in the necessary changes to make Costa Mesa the place to be instead of the place to flee.

Instead of worrying so much about fixing potholes--call this what it is: rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic--the Council should:

1. Work much harder to put homes on our view bluffs to attract upwardly mobile people back to Costa Mesa. If surgical eminent domain is needed, so be it. Get the job done!

2. Buy and remove slum buildings from the Westside, Mesa North and Mesa del Mar and have low income housing built in the South Coast Metro area to fulfill our state mandated requirements for low income housing.

3. Step up ICE enforcement efforts and hold the CMPD accountable for results.

4. Enact a municipal code similar to the one in Orange about soliciting work.

5. Stop funding non-profits that draw illegal aliens to this city, and break apart their over- concentration on the Westside and especially in and around Rea School on Hamilton Street.

6. Start worrying more about the quality of life of citizens and stop tilting so much to big business interests.

7. Stop listening to the anti-American haters, brown racists and assorted dimwits with small brains and big mouths and start listening to citizens who want Costa Mesa to be a first class American city, not a Third World slum.

8. If Costa Mesa's leaders can't reverse our downward slide, go hat in hand to Newport Beach's leaders and beg that Newport annex all of Costa Mesa. If that ever happened, you'd see Costa Mesa moving up so fast that it would make heads spin.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Monday, February 25, 2008

CM PRESS # 306
































HERE'S THE PHOTO OF OBAMA (on the right) THAT IS NOW MAKING THE ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET

Presidential campaigns are often sunk on some seemingly minor things--a candidate crying (Muskie); an ad of a child and a nuclear explosion (Goldwater); swiftboat vets (Kerry); five o'clock shadow (Nixon).

No doubt, the Clinton campaign hopes this photo of Obama dressed in traditional Somali garb with turban will sink Obama's campaign.

Will it work or will it backfire on Hillary? We should know after the Texas and Ohio Democrat primaries held on March 4.

Sidenote: When we tried to find this photo on Google this morning, it wasn't to be found, but it was on Yahoo. Politics?
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

CM PRESS # 305


GOOD LETTER IN DAILY PILOT TODAY ABOUT JWA AND A NEW GROUP FORMING TO NOT ONLY STOP ITS EXPANSION BUT ROLL IT BACK! LINK

As soon as we get contact information for the new group, we'll publish it.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Friday, February 22, 2008

CM PRESS # 304


WHEN GIVEN A CHOICE BETWEEN BEING ANNEXED BY NEWPORT BEACH OR COSTA MESA, MOST PREFER NEWPORT BEACH OR NO ANNEXATION AT ALL

According to the OC REGISTER today, Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau is opposed to Newport Beach annexing a 290 acre area of land that includes the Santa Ana Country Club and residential tracts south of Mesa Drive between Santa Ana Avenue and Irvine Avenue. LINK

Bludau told the REG, "I recognize that those residents want very badly to become part of the city [Newport Beach]." He then went on to say, "But we have some issues that we want to work with Costa Mesa on," [that might be jepordized if Newport moved to annex the area in question.]

The issues Bludau mentioned were the extension of the 55 freeway, park sharing, JWA issues, and what to do about Banning Ranch.

The article goes on to say that most of the residents in the area would prefer to remain un-annexed rather than becoming part of Costa Mesa.

The Newport Beach City Council will consider this issue of annexation at its Tuesday, Feb 26, meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. Here's a LINK to the agenda item.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS REALLY MEAN?

It doesn't take a genius to tell you that Newport Beach is more upscale than Costa Mesa and that Newport does not have a problem with slums, gangs, low student test scores, lower than they should be home values, a lower quality of life, and 60 acres of industrial buildings on their view bluffs as does Costa Mesa.

(This is an aside, but here's a LINK to the DP about what Newport does on its bluffs. Contrast that to Costa Mesa's bluff factories.)

And, it's no accident that Newport Beach is on warp drive moving away from Costa Mesa in quality of life. To their credit, citizens and officials in Newport have worked over the years to constantly improve their city in meaningful ways.

Meanwhile, in Costa Mesa we've had too many officials and citizens who are just interested in fixing potholes and putting in street medians instead of doing the things that really matter.

Most people with half a brain know their personal and family situations would be vastly improved just by being part of Newport Beach instead of Costa Mesa.


To repeat: It seems that Costa Mesa has too many people who think that fixing potholes and putting in street medians will solve our problems. They're mistaken. While these things are nice, they shouldn't be considered to be the main course. They're just the side dishes.

It's as though over in Newport, when people sit down for a Thanksgiving dinner they demand a turkey on the table with all the fixings, while in Costa Mesa we're happy with the side dishes but no turkey.

And, our leaders in Costa Mesa then brag about putting mashed potatoes and gravy on the table and hope we won't notice that there's no turkey.

Contrast Costa Mesa's sweet nothing approach to improvement to that of Newport Beach. A couple of years ago, the last low income apartment building in Corona del Mar was razed.

As reported in the DP, citizens in the neighborhood showed up in the street to cheer. They knew that their neighborhood, which was being held back by the apartment building and the problems that were emanating from it, would now start improving.

HOW ABOUT ANNEXING ALL OF COSTA MESA?


We think a strong case can be made for having Newport Beach and Costa Mesa annexing each other--merge the two cities for the mutual benefit of citizens of both cities that geographically already look like one city.

On a map, the new merged city, to retain the name Newport Beach, would look similar to Huntington Beach and the population of the new city would also be about the same size as Huntington Beach.

What would occur if this happened? Home values in Costa Mesa would jump and Newporters would move to start improving the old Costa Mesa rather than having it drag Newport lower. Newporters would get South Coast Metro as part of the new City.

Look folks, this would be a little like Ford and Rolls Royce merging as one company while retaining the Rolls Royce name and keeping Rolls Royce's management and philosophy.

Here's what we wrote about this earlier: LINK
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

CM PRESS # 303


UNDER A STEEL SKY

Joe Bell has a column in the Daily Pilot today about John Wayne Airport. LINK

Unfortunately, Bell gives inadvertent examples of how screwed up the opposition to an ever expanding John Wayne is.

No wonder the folks in South County were able to kill off an airport at El Toro.

CONSIDER:

Bell writes that "Air Fare" is a group working to cap flights. Actually, Joe, it's "AIRFAIR."
LINK

Note 1: Because the DP folks read the CM PRESS in order to stay informed about what's really going on in Costa Mesa, they may correct the DP's Website with the correct name before you read the error.

Note 2: When you go to AIRFAIR's website, notice that there's no mention of the AWG meeting written about by Bell and quoted immediately below. Don't these groups even communicate with each other?

Bell tells readers: "And for starters, don’t forget that AWG meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Balboa Yacht Club, 1801 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach."

Ah, okay, Joe, where are the rest of the details? Is there a charge? Is this a dinner meeting? Is everyone invited? Is there adequate parking? Where is the parking? Are there parking fees? Is there a dress code? How about a contact telephone number? How about a website address?

When the CM PRESS googled AWG (Airport Working Group) to try to find the information Bell forgot to give readers, we came up with an out of date web page and couldn't find any mention of the meeting written about by Bell. LINK

Folks, we've said it before: John Wayne is going to keep expanding unless a realistic alternate airport site is found.

The CM PRESS believes the most viable option is to have the federal government cede a relatively small part of massive Camp Pendleton to a new airport authority that will build a 21st century international airport there.

Unfortunately, the groups trying to do something about John Wayne are mostly just trying to cap the number of flights, or put in train service between John Wayne and an airport in San Bernardino County.

We don't see those as real solutions at all. In fact, we see them as busy work and distractions that will cause people to think something is being done when it isn't.

For more on our suggestions about Camp Pendleton, read THIS
and THIS.

Although Bell and his neighbors in the former Santa Ana Heights and the folks on Costa Mesa's Eastside will be most affected by an ever growing John Wayne, the rest of us in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach will also be affected.

When John Wayne needs more land, it's going to take Costa Mesa land almost over to the 55 Freeway. Look at this MAP for some clues about this. Notice how freeway off ramps could be built leading to an expanded JWA from the 55?

And, when JWA expands and more flights come in, we're all going to live under a steel sky.

If you live on the Westside or in Mesa Verde, you may think that an expansion of JWA won't affect you, but it will.

You do know that incoming flights make their approach from the ocean and follow the Santa Ana River inland before turning to land at JWA, don't you? Do you want more flights up the Santa Ana River--which is within the crash zone of your homes?
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

CM PRESS # 302


LIBS ARE NUTS SAYS SHRINK

Here's the LINK.


Read the whole article above and then take a look at the DP blogs.

Compare the points made in the article with various blog entries. See any lunatic rantings?

You be the judge. Can you find a fit?
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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS.

CM PRESS # 301


WHO ARE THE IMPROVERS?
(From # 94--March 1, 2007)

Because there are new readers of the CM PRESS, we thought it might be time to again talk a little about the "Improvers" and the CM PRESS.

The Improvers is the name we give to many citizens who are interested in improving Costa Mesa and who understand the reasons for the way it is today.

We often use the big "I" version of the word for those who regularly show up at city meetings even when issues being discussed aren't just in their own neighborhoods. These are generally the people who understand that all of Costa Mesa is connected. If one neighborhood has problems, then all neighborhoods have problems. Most of these folks want the whole city improved and they're putting energy into making it happen.

Many improvers probably started out because of some seemingly minor problem in their own neighborhood that they might have thought was confined to their neighborhood. Then, when they tried to fix that problem, they discovered the gestalt--the fact that many such problems are not confined to one neighborhood at all, but are city wide problems or are somehow connected to other problems.

So, to really fix their problem in their own neighborhood, they had to take an interest in other problems in other neighborhoods.

BIG "I" vs. LITTLE 'i"

We often use the little "i" version of improvers for those who generally side with improvement but who aren't as active.

And, we often don't use the two versions of improver very precisely; because the whole thing isn't very precise to begin with. Improvers are not really an organization, but a state of mind.

As far as we know, there are no leaders in the improvement movement--if we can call it that. There are just ordinary work-a-day people who probably disagree on many things, but who pretty much agree that Costa Mesa should be nicer than it is, that we should have schools that aren't failing, that we should have a low crime rate, and that we should have a quality of life that is closer to that of our coastal neighboring cities.

Most improvers also agree that the key to improving all of Costa Mesa is the Westside. Instead of being the best part of the city--which is what it should be--it's the worst. Fix the Westside and many other problems in the city will take care of themselves.

You can be an Improver or an improver too. All you have to do is go to city meetings and communicate your ideas on making Costa Mesa nicer. But, in our opinion, anyone who does that, should try to be dispassionately logical, not emotional, and should be open to facts and the truth about why Costa Mesa is the way it is. It's no more complicated than that.

You won't be met by people in black helicopters and you won't have to sign anything or donate money or join anything or follow anyone. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican or anything else. Just show up and get active and you're as much an improver as the next guy if your positions are logical and well thought out and will make Costa Mesa more like our surrounding coastal cities.

This is your city. Your help is needed to make it nicer.

Closed minded bigotry doesn't help make Costa Mesa nicer whether it's coming from the so-called left or the so-called right. Open minds and critical thinking are what is needed.

Because there are special interests who don't want to see changes in Costa Mesa and who have been trying to stop those changes with smears and false information, the CM PRESS long ago came up with what we call the Ring of Cities to help supply objective information and avoid fuzzy thinking.

THE RING OF CITIES

The Ring of Cities is comprised of Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach and Irvine.

The CM PRESS is Costa Mesacentric. We see it as the center. All five of the other cities touch some part of Costa Mesa's land and that's why they are part of the ring.

The CM PRESS gathers and publishes statistics from the cities in the Ring. This gives us objective baselines--our vital signs--on how Costa Mesa is doing as compared to these other cities. No emotion. Just facts. Then, we try to discover the reason for why the statistics are the way they are.

It's like going to your doctor. He can take your blood pressure or your temperature, but if he doesn't have a baseline for these two indicators of your physical condition, the results are meaningless. He has to know which numbers indicate health and which indicate a problem.

We live in a cause and effect universe. Things happen for a reason. For example, our schools are bad for a reason. What is that reason? What do our schools have in common with other failing schools in the Ring of Cities? How are they different from high performing schools? By boldly asking such questions, and by not being swayed with emotional arguments and self-serving comments, we can usually get to the source of the problem, and this will suggest remedies.

You probably won't be surprised to read that most of the statistics we've gathered over the past eight years show that Costa Mesa, traditionally the sister city of Newport Beach, has been trending more like Santa Ana than Newport.*

THE CM PRESS

The CM PRESS is a labor of love. We started it as a newsletter about eight years ago because we were fed up with crime and gangs and graffiti and failing schools and all the rest of the negative things we were seeing in our city and we were fed up with politicians who seemed oblivious to the conditions that they were allowing and, in some cases, causing.

When we started the CM PRESS, we had people on the City Council who wouldn't even admit we had gangs in Costa Mesa. These people claimed that those with a gang appearance were just making fashion statements. Graffiti? It was art to these people. We kid you not.

Our first few issues of this newsletter were called the Community Watchdog. At that time, it was handed out to people at meetings and was delivered to some homes and was then faxed to those who requested it.

It was soon renamed the Costa Mesa Press and we started sending it via email to those who asked to receive it.

Next, thanks to the suggestions of an improver on the Westside, it was changed to the present "blog." We put blog in quotation marks, because unlike most blogs, we don't run comments--except as letters from improvers and we continue to use the newsletter format. Also, along the way, its name was shortened to the CM PRESS.

We try to attend most city meetings and we try to keep our ear to the ground to inform readers about what's going on that may be shaping 0ur city. To this end, we receive tips from others around the city on breaking news stories. We're often on the scene of the latest gang shooting before the ambulances arrive.

Apart from the statistics and some straight reports on events, the CM PRESS is not an objective news source. It is mainly commentary and opinion. We are unabashed advocates for a nicer Costa Mesa and we have a filter through which we put things being done by government and various other entities in this city. This filter is this: "Is this good for Costa Mesa and will it help improve our city or not?"

The CM PRESS has little loyalty to politicians or others on a personal basis. We often say that we have no friends in politics. We look at the things that politicians say and do and we put these through our filter that we just mentioned. We then weigh the many individual things they say and do and try to determine if, in our opinion and on balance, these individuals are more for improving our city or less for it. If they seem to be more on the improvement side of things, we support them. If they're not, we don't.

Then, we write our opinions on things that we think were done right or wrong and why we think that.

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

CM PRESS # 300

CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT


Mayor Pro Tem Mansoor has a good opinion column in the Daily Pilot today about improvement. LINK

The CM PRESS has no disagreement with anything written by Mr. Mansoor in his column, but as long time readers of the CM PRESS know, we believe in going further to improve Costa Mesa than what we're seeing from improvement supported candidates on the Council.

Specifically:

CRIME AND ILLEGAL ALIENS

Mr. Mansoor speaks of the great work being done by ICE. We agree. However, the present ICE and City approach is to reduce our crime by grabbing individual criminal illegal aliens and deporting them. That needs to be done, but more needs to be done.

The reason we have so many illegal alien criminals in Costa Mesa is because they're (even now) being welcomed here by the left wing status quo establishment.

Until the welcome mat is removed, we'll keep having problems. Those who are deported are quickly replaced by other criminal illegal aliens. There's almost no end to the supply.

As we've written many times before, our present catch and deport policy is similar to having a swamp full of alligators and then going out and grabbing an alligator here and there. It becomes a never ending job because the alligators are comfortable in the swamp and more keep coming to take advantage of that comfortable situation.

If you really want to solve your alligator problem, you have to drain the swamp. Then, the alligators will leave to find some other place that is comfortable.

In terms of Costa Mesa, this means we need to remove our "swamps"--the slum apartment buildings and non-profits that give comfort and safe harbors to illegal alien criminals and gangs.

Even just decimating the slum buildings ("decimate" means to take every tenth one) and putting in some pocket parks to replace some of the buildings would help.

In addition, many of the non-profits in the City are clustered on the Westside and this creates a ghetto without walls. Illegal aliens tend to congregate near these non-profits to get their free services. This over concentration of non-profits should be broken up and the City should stop giving our tax money to non-profits that serve illegal aliens.

Furthermore, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District gives $1 dollar a year rent to several of these non-profits in Rea School and this should be stopped.

The purpose of a school is schooling, not being a location for non-profits. We believe the City Council should investigate whether NMUSD is in violation of some of our City codes by allowing all these non-profits on the Rea Campus.

THE WESTSIDE BLUFFS

Mr. Mansoor writes about overlays and the free market to help improve the Bluffs. Yes, this is a good approach and we've been trying this, but more needs to be done.

We can't simply say that it is now okay to build homes on the Bluffs and then walk away. We need, as a City, to actively encourage the building of homes on the Bluffs. There are many ways to do this that do not include widespread eminent domain, and sophisticated developers and City planners know how to do this.

Also, eminent domain and even just having people know that the City has not ruled it out can help improve Costa Mesa. In other words, eminent domain should not be taken off the table.

After all, the improvement goal is not to just posit nice sounding philosophical principles and theories such as "free market economy." Our goal is to improve the Westside and the rest of the City and we should be prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

GENERALLY

Mr. Mansoor puts great emphasis on fixing potholes. Yes, we find them as irritating as most other people. However, such an emphasis is a little like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic at this time in the improvement of Costa Mesa and gives a false illusion that real improvement is happening, even if it isn't.

The CM PRESS believes that our emphasis should be, as we indicated above, on removing slum buildings. If we need to hold off on fixing some streets in order to free up some money to buy up some slum buildings, well that's the way it should be. It's a matter of getting the most improvement for our money.

Again, this isn't a criticism of Mayor Pro Tem Mansoor, but we did want to point out that we'd like to see Mr. Mansoor, Mr. Bever and Ms. Leece do more major things (such as removing some slum buildings, etc.) to help improve Costa Mesa.

As far as Katrina Foley and Linda Dixon go, you can forget about them doing anything meaningful to improve our city. They're both part of the problem, not part of the solution.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Friday, February 15, 2008

CM PRESS # 299


OBAMANABLE SHOWMAN

Barack Obama is like a drum. Both make noise because both are empty.

As more and more people are now pointing out, Obama says nothing. He just strings together nice sounding words that are meaningless.

This guy would fit right in with some of the local bloggers in Costa Mesa. Read some of the crap some of these nitwits write on the Daily Pilot blog as they try to convince others that low school scores don't mean what they do mean for an example of this.

In an earlier CM PRESS we took a long post that appeared on the DP blog and went word by word pointing out that it was completely empty. The poster, like Obama, had just strung together a list of adjectives and conclusions with no substance.

When I think of Obama I remember back to when I was living in Washington, D.C.

There was a black guy there who used to sell balloons from a corner in Georgetown. The thing about this guy was that his voice was so low, I swear, that it was almost below the level of human hearing. You'd walk past the guy and he'd always say the same thing, but you'd never see his lips move: "Buy the lady a balloon. Make the children happy."

It was almost subliminal. It was like monks chanting OM. Like Obama, this guy was also an empty drum. But unlike Obama he wasn't a little snare drum. He was a hollow thousand year old tree lying on its side in the jungle that when struck with a log made the deep sound of creation that still echoes through the universe--OMMMMMMM!

I used to imagine that some people would take a few steps past the balloon man, not consciously hear what he had said, but then have their subconscious buttons pushed--by the sound that they heard but didn't hear--and turn back zombie like while droning: Must buy balloon for lady. Must make the children happy."

Obama has just enough of that vocal quality of the balloon man to have easily suggestible people think that he's saying something of substance. And, like the balloon man, what Obama is selling is mostly empty air.

And, speaking of empty air, that brings us to Katrina Foley who is running for reelection in Costa Mesa this year...oh, never mind.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

CM PRESS # 298


LAY OFFS AT THE LA TIMES

Yesterday, we wrote that Sam Zell, the new owner of Times Mirror, wouldn't take long to make changes.

Today, the Times is reporting that about 100 to 150 people will be laid off at the paper including about 40-50 in the news room.

Frankly, we think the reported lay off numbers are lower than what will actually happen, and that the real total will be more in the range of 300 to 400 over the next few months. But that's just our guess.

No doubt there will also be some changes coming soon to the Daily Pilot if they aren't already in the works.

LINK

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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.


Tuesday, February 12, 2008

CM PRESS # 297


HOG RIDIN' MAN IN CHARGE

Sam Zell, the 6 billion dollar Harley riding guy who went out one day to buy a newspaper and ended up with the whole friggin' company--including the Daily Pilot--had a sit down with some of his employees at a paper he now owns in Florida and ended up calling a reporter a @#$#%&* #$#@^and if you don't like that you can go @#$#@ your@#$%. LINK

We here at the CM PRESS like Sam. He's our kind of $%#&^guy. He cuts through the BS and gets right to the nub of an issue.

He's not a %^$#* guy who suffers fools, and he'll slice and dice dimwits who use pompous, overblown, flatulent, throat clearing prose.

Naturally, this brings us to the #$%$#% Daily Pilot.

For years we've wondered who the hell reads some of the puppy dog crap that the #@$%^ DP runs as regular columns.

Our guess, since the $#@&*^DP keeps having the same milquetoast hacks writing the same stuff, is that some blue-haired ladies and pablum eating dimwits must be telling Waving Johnson, the publisher of the rag, that they like what he runs. So, he keeps running it.

Our further guess is that Zell is going to change things.

RICH GUYS WE'VE KNOWN--OR, CAN YOU SPOT THE BILLIONAIRE?

Someday when you go into a coffee shop in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa, look around. See those guys with the styled hair, the darting eyes, the expensive suits and skinny Italian shoes? Watch as they constantly look at their expensive watches and fiddle with their designer ball point pens. Listen in as they talk big deals on their new cell phones. Impressed? You probably shouldn't be. They're usually not the rich guys. They're usually the poseurs.

See that guy in the back corner who looks like he just came from a machine shop and who is wearing an old cheap shirt from K-Mart? He might be the only billionaire in the room.

At least that's our experience with the rich guys we've either known or heard about.

We got a several page handwritten letter once from H. L. Hunt, who had responded to something we had written about politics. At that time, Hunt was the richest man in the world. You wouldn't have guessed it from his letter to us or from his lifestyle--reportedly, he used to bring his lunch in a brown paper bag when he'd visit some of his many oil wells in his old car.

It's been the same with others we've known, but the point we're making is that the guys we're aware of who seem to have the golden touch, seem to have a lot of the personality characteristics of Sam Zell.

Guys like that don't wait long to make changes when something isn't working.

Now, we don't want to be too harsh. The Daily Pilot has made some changes that are good, but some of the things the paper has done aren't working.

Nope, we're not going to give our opinion right now on what we think is working and what we think is not working.

If the DP is interested, they know how to find us.

We'll be in the back corner of the coffee shop with the guy who looks like he just came from a machine shop and who is wearing an old cheap K-Mart shirt.

We'll be the one picking up the tab--which is a sure sign that if either of us at the table is a billionaire, or even has a pot to piss in, it isn't us.
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.

Monday, February 11, 2008

CM PRESS # 296



AVERAGE INCOMES IN THE RING OF CITIES*
(From the OC POST-- LINK)

Newport Beach.............................................$ 232,280.4
(Includes Newport Coast and Corona del Mar)
Irvine.............................................................$ 89,951.74
Huntington Beach.........................................$ 70,454.36
Costa Mesa....................................................$ 57, 172.93
Fountain Valley.............................................$ 53,434.75
Santa Ana.......................................................$ 47,312.87


If you were to lay these figures out on a spread sheet with other vital statistics from these six cities, you'd find that the lower ranking cities in income would also usually have the most crime, the worst school scores, the most gangs, the lowest home values, the most crime, the most illegal aliens, the lowest education levels.

Libs and lefties often misuse income statistics to try to prove that higher crime, lower school scores, etc. are a function of the lower incomes. This is false reasoning.

All the statistics, including incomes, are a function of the people in the community.

Yes, dear friends, when we discuss people and the statistics that indicate how they're doing, people really do matter. That may seem to be a harsh reality to some, but it's a fact.

WHAT IF COSTA MESA AND NEWPORT WERE MERGED INTO ONE CITY? The average income of such a city would be $ 144,726.71

*The OC POST is not clear whether these are individual incomes or household incomes.
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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS

Friday, February 8, 2008

CM PRESS # 295


COSTA MESA ICE STATISTICS FOR JANUARY 2008

The CMPD has released the ICE statistics for 2008.

These January 2008 stats are very different from the January 2007 stats.

In January 2007, the Total booked figure was 449; Total Interviewed by ICE 171; Total Detainers issued 57.

Compare that to the January 2008 stats: Total booked 388; Total Interviewed by ICE 27; Total Detainers issued 13.

The CMPD explanation for the lower numbers:

"This is a result of our temporary jail closure for part of the month due to the police department expansion/remodel project. This closure will also affect February numbers."

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CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING COMMISSION JOINT MEETING

There will be a special joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission on Tuesday, February 12, 2008, at 6:00 p.m in City Hall Conference Room 1A, 77 Fair Drive.

The special meeting is to conduct a joint study session to discuss the City's Draft Housing Element.

If you have any questions, please contact Management Analyst, Hilda Veturis at (714) 754-5608.
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Thanks for reading the CM PRESS

Thursday, February 7, 2008

CM PRESS # 294


LOU DOBBS HITS BACK

Below is part of a long transcript from the Lou Dobb's CNN program of Feb. 4, 2008. LINK

This might be of interest to concerned Costa Mesa citizens because there are lefty creeps in Costa Mesa who are quick to scream "hate speech," and "racist" and who are hypersensitive to the point of neurosis as they try to intimidate people into silence and curtail their free speech rights.

--------------------------BEGIN TRANSCRIPT--------------------------------------

DOBBS: Janet Murguia is the president of the National Council of La Raza. She attacked me last week for in her words "handing hate a microphone" and for driving the debate on illegal immigration in such a way that demonizes the Hispanic community. She is also criticizing the presidential candidates for their newfound focus on illegal immigration.

We called Janet Murguia and we're told that -- at least I found out today, before we could ask you, your PR director asked us for you to be here, and we're delighted you are.

Janet Murguia joins us now.

OK. You and I have talked over the years, many times about illegal immigration. You accused me of being basically a hatemonger. And the reality is, I'm not. And you know that. So let's get to...

JANET MURGUIA, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF LA RAZA: OK.

DOBBS: ... what in the world are you doing with this organization?

MURGUIA: Well, I think the key fact is that we can document now a wave of hate and different ways in which that...

DOBBS: Let's be -- no, I want to be specific.

MURGUIA: Different ways in which the hate is manifested.

DOBBS: You're talking about me.

MURGUIA: Again...

DOBBS: You're talking about me.

MURGUIA: Let me just make my case.

DOBBS: Sure.

MURGUIA: We're talking about a wave of hate and the way that that hate is manifested in different representatives that you have on this show.

We have got self-avowed vigilante representatives. This is Chris Simcox. He's been on your show five times on CNN.

DOBBS: The founder of the Minutemen.

MURGUIA: Founder of the Minuteman Project. And according to the SPLC, Southern Poverty...

DOBBS: Which is nothing more than a fund-raising and...

MURGUIA: That's your opinion. Let me just get this stuff...

DOBBS: That's right, but I'm going to tell you what it is.

MURGUIA: Simcox was convicted in 2003 of carrying a weapon in the national park while searching for undocumented immigrants. That same year, he was quoted in an Orange County newspaper saying, "So far, we've had restraint, but I'm afraid that restraint is wearing thin. Take heed of our weapons, because we are going to defend our borders by any means necessary."

He's a self-avowed vigilante...

DOBBS: Is he in charge of the Minutemen?

MURGUIA: Yes. He's the founder of the...

DOBBS: No, he's not.

MURGUIA: ... of the Minutemen Project.

DOBBS: He's no longer associated with the Minutemen.

MURGUIA: He is associated and is a spokesperson...

DOBBS: No.

MURGUIA: ... and was a spokesperson all these times.

DOBBS: Jim Gilchrist?

MURGUIA: Jim Gilchrist -- co-founder of the Minutemen Project, self-avowed vigilante. And he's been on your show eight times and on CNN 27 times.

You said that you proudly, proudly support these projects, that they're fine Americans and who make up all...

DOBBS: Can we see what you...

MURGUIA: Sure. I'm sorry. You said that you support the Minuteman Project, and that they're fine Americans who make it up in all they've accomplished fully, relentlessly, and proudly.

DOBBS: Right.

MURGUIA: So I want to make sure you understand. These are folks who are documented to be part of hate groups.

DOBBS: Who documented them?

MURGUIA: Southern Poverty Leadership...

DOBBS: Southern Poverty Law Center...

MURGUIA: And the American Defamation League, ADL.

DOBBS: Both of whom are absolute advocate groups for open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens. MURGUIA: That's your opinion.

DOBBS: No, it's not my opinion.

MURGUIA: Yes, it is your opinion.

DOBBS: No, it's a fact.

MURGUIA: We have a Web site that documents not just these individuals, but others who are tied to hate groups or vigilante groups...

DOBBS: What did President Bush call them?

MURGUIA: ... and we've seen them on the air...

DOBBS: What did...

MURGUIA: ... relentlessly...

DOBBS: You have never...

MURGUIA: ... representing a point of view on immigration. It's like having David Duke on a panel to talk about affirmative action.

DOBBS: You're way...

MURGUIA: It's unaccepted -- it's unacceptable...

DOBBS: You're way overreaching (ph)...

MURGUIA: And we don't want to tolerate it anymore. We're taking our case to the network heads and we're asking them to hold the networks accountable. We want to hold...

DOBBS: You want me fired, don't you?

MURGUIA: No, I'm saying that...

DOBBS: Don't you want me fired?

MURGUIA: No, I want to hold you accountable for how you use your microphone every night.

DOBBS: Who am I to be accountable to? You?

MURGUIA: No. You're accountable to the broader...

DOBBS: Aren't I accountable to my audience?

MURGUIA: You're accountable to the broader public, in making sure that we're bringing factual information...

DOBBS: OK, let's talk about some facts, shall we?

MURGUIA: ... to the people. DOBBS: I want you to get through your charts.

MURGUIA: Sure.

DOBBS: I want to point out one thing, if I may, on this. The statement about the Minutemen came after President Bush had called the Minutemen vigilantes.

MURGUIA: That's right.

DOBBS: The fact is, that the Minutemen -- and please, this is your opportunity. The Minutemen have never, ever been charged with an act of violence...

MURGUIA: Chris Simcox was arrested and convicted.

DOBBS: Oh, was he a member of the Minutemen when that occurred?

MURGUIA: Yes. It was in 2003, and he was founder of the Minutemen Project.

DOBBS: And he was doing what?

MURGUIA: He was convicted -- arrested and convicted of carrying a gun into a national park searching for undocumented immigrants. All this is documented on our Web site.

DOBBS: So you would cast the entire organization of the Minutemen...

MURGUIA: I'm casting him. I'm holding you accountable for putting him on the airwaves and saying that he is an expert on immigration reform. That's ridiculous. He's not an expert on immigration reform.

DOBBS: Did we say he was an expert, or did we say that he was one of the founders of the Minutemen?

MURGUIA: I think you couch this -- you gave him this aura of respectability. You also cited in 2006 a source of your, you know, branding it CNN and Lou Dobbs, around the Council of Conservative Citizens, which also the SPLC has named as a white nationalist hate group. This is a group that denigrates routinely blacks as genetically inferior, complained about, you know, Jewish power, and also denigrated homosexuals as perverted sodomites.

All I'm saying is, you're co-branding yourself and CNN with a white supremacist nationalist hate group.

DOBBS: Did we do that?

MURGUIA: This...

DOBBS: Did we really?

MURGUIA: ... was on your program on May 23rd... DOBBS: How long was that on the air?

MURGUIA: ... 2006.

DOBBS: How long was that...

MURGUIA: It doesn't matter how long.

DOBBS: Of course it does.

MURGUIA: It doesn't.

DOBBS: Of course it does.

MURGUIA: You're using hate speech, hate group to make a case on immigration.

DOBBS: I'm going to tell you straight up...

MURGUIA: To make a case on immigration.

DOBBS: Do you want the answer?

MURGUIA: Sure.

DOBBS: You want to know how long it was on the air?

MURGUIA: It doesn't matter.

DOBBS: Seconds. You have just given them more airtime than this network, this broadcast ever did.

MURGUIA: And I'm holding you accountable for having given them any sort of exposure.

DOBBS: Oh, you are?

MURGUIA: And the fact that you're associating yourself...

DOBBS: So you should be...

MURGUIA: ... with this extremist...

DOBBS: I associated myself?

MURGUIA: You cite them as a fact...

DOBBS: I did?

MURGUIA: ... on this...

DOBBS: Did I?

MURGUIA: This says, "Dobbs -- LOU DOBBS TONIGHT, CNN."

DOBBS: Right. MURGUIA: That's there for everyone to see.

DOBBS: Right.

MURGUIA: This is from your show on May 23rd, 2006.

DOBBS: Right.

MURGUIA: This kind of hate speech, this kind...

DOBBS: What year?

MURGUIA: 2006.

DOBBS: You got anything a little more recent?

MURGUIA: We have got a whole Web site that documents all of this.

DOBBS: I -- let's go through your Web site. OK?

MURGUIA: Yes, sure.

DOBBS: Let's go through this.

MURGUIA: Yes. Because we've made a case.

DOBBS: I want you to...

MURGUIA: We want to make sure that you need to know. Just make one point -- hate speech has consequences. We have seen the rise in hate crimes in the same time that these types of comments and people were on your show and on other CNN shows...

DOBBS: So I'm responsible for that?

MURGUIA: ... Fox, MSNBC -- we're holding all three networks. We saw a rise in hate crimes against Hispanics raised by 23 percent. And twice that in California.

Hate speech has consequences.

DOBBS: Janet, OK, is it my turn? You have now been talking for over four minutes.

MURGUIA: You have the mike every night.

DOBBS: So you're taking it away from me tonight?

MURGUIA: I'm just saying, I want to make my case.

DOBBS: So you wouldn't like -- OK.

MURGUIA: I appreciate...

DOBBS: Would you like me to -- OK. So what would you like me to do? I will tell you what, we'll give you some more time, and then I'll respond to you tomorrow evening.

MURGUIA: OK.

DOBBS: How about it?

MURGUIA: Well, I appreciate that.

I just want to make sure you know, for us, it's intolerable and untenable.

DOBBS: Who's us?

MURGUIA: The National Council of La Raza. We represent a civil rights and advocacy organization...

DOBBS: You're a civil rights and...

MURGUIA: ... for 40 years.

DOBBS: You're a socio-ethnocentric organization with a specific interest in driving illegal immigration and amnesty, and you know it.

MURGUIA: That's your opinion.

DOBBS: You are being...

MURGUIA: That's your opinion. That's like me saying...

DOBBS: You are...

MURGUIA: ... you're part of the media elites...

DOBBS: You are racially focused (ph)...

MURGUIA: ... because CNN is a conglomerate.

DOBBS: If I...

MURGUIA: We represent 40 years of history in this country of advancing...

DOBBS: You are abusing it...

MURGUIA: ... the interests of Hispanics.

DOBBS: You are abusing it now in a way...

MURGUIA: And when you attack immigrants...

DOBBS: ... that's (inaudible).

MURGUIA: You're attacking now...

DOBBS: I have never attacked an immigrant, ever.

MURGUIA: When you use these kinds of representatives... DOBBS: No, I have never, ever.

MURGUIA: When you use these kinds of representatives...

DOBBS: Have I ever attacked an immigrant? Have I ever?

MURGUIA: I'm saying that when you...

DOBBS: Have I ever spoken against legal immigration in this country?

MURGUIA: You make a case...

DOBBS: Have I ever...

MURGUIA: ... supporting these individuals.

DOBBS: I have made a case...

MURGUIA: Dan Stein with FAIR...

DOBBS: ... for securing the borders.

MURGUIA: FAIR is a known, documented hate group.

DOBBS: Dan...

MURGUIA: They receive...

DOBBS: They're a hate group?

MURGUIA: That's correct.

DOBBS: From -- oh my gosh. You...

MURGUIA: This is now -- this is from the Southern Poverty Law Center. They document that their founder, their creator, is John Tanton, a man who remains on FAIR's board and operates a racist publishing company. He once has compared immigrants to bacteria...

DOBBS: Janet -- OK.

MURGUIA: FAIR has employed members of white supremacists. They promote racist conspiracy theories, and they receive funding from the Pioneer Fund, which is a racist foundation devoted to eugenics and proving a connection between race and IQ.

You trot these folks out. You cloak them with an air of respectability, and you give them a platform. That's not acceptable to us, to have these kinds of individuals spewing their rhetoric...

DOBBS: Well, you're -- I guess what I'm saying is...

MURGUIA: ... on this...

DOBBS: ... ladi-da, it's not acceptable to you. What gives you such special prerogative here?

MURGUIA: It's not me. This is hate speech.

DOBBS: Who is this -- I'm sorry...

MURGUIA: This should be offensive not just to us.

DOBBS: ... you're the one who's making the charge.

MURGUIA: These types of individuals and the words that they use have consequences. We've seen that documented over the period of the last three years.

(CROSSTALK)

MURGUIA: According to the FBI and the Department of Justice, and that's on our Web site too.

I want folks to be able to know that there is a wave of hate out there. It's being generated in many respects by the cable news networks, and we want to hold them accountable for the individuals that they're using on the airwaves. And we don't want commentators parroting their speech, because it only manifests...

DOBBS: Well, I'm a lot of things, but I'm sure not a bigot and I'm sure not a parrot. And I think what gives you the greatest trouble is I'm an independent, and I'm not going to put up with the nonsense, whether it originates with La Raza, whether it originates with FAIR, and the fact that you...

MURGUIA: This isn't about you, Lou.

DOBBS: Oh, yes, it is.

MURGUIA: No, it's not.

DOBBS: Yes, it is.

MURGUIA: It's about holding...

DOBBS: You have attacked me.

MURGUIA: ... your network accountable.

DOBBS: You called me...

MURGUIA: It's about holding your network accountable...

DOBBS: My network is accountable...

MURGUIA: ... for allowing...

DOBBS: ... every day.

MURGUIA: Well, we are going to make sure...

DOBBS: This network...

MURGUIA: ... that that's the case.

DOBBS: Oh, you're not going to make certain at all.

MURGUIA: We are meeting -- I already have a meeting with CNN worldwide president...

DOBBS: Jim Walton.

MURGUIA: ... Mr. Jim Walton...

DOBBS: Right.

MURGUIA: ... to talk to him about this.

DOBBS: He's a good man to start with.

MURGUIA: Well, we're going to hold you accountable. We're going to hold the other networks accountable.

DOBBS: And what are you going to do?

MURGUIA: We're going to ask them to remove these kinds of representatives...

DOBBS: So you want me -- you want me fired?

MURGUIA: Not you. I said these representatives, who are tied to vigilante and hate groups, as documented by the ADL or by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They have no place on the airwaves.

DOBBS: Let me tell you something: The Southern Poverty Law Center...

MURGUIA: And we want to make sure that you're not parroting their speech.

DOBBS: Now -- now, may I respond? Now, for you to inject hate and bigotry into this debate on illegal immigration...

MURGUIA: I didn't inject it.

DOBBS: ... on your Web site...

MURGUIA: I didn't inject it. I can document how it has been injected.

DOBBS: It's my turn. It's my turn. I've given you, I think, seven, eight minutes.

Let's start with the reality. I have never said a word against a legal immigrant into this country, nor would I ever. I have called for more legal immigration, not less.

Now, listen. I listened to you, OK? I want to -- do we have that record on -- let's put up the -- you said a 23 percent increase in hate crimes against Hispanics. Can we put up the full screen on this?

MURGUIA: You know, the ADL documents code words for hate.

DOBBS: The ADL -- oh, yes, sure.

MURGUIA: And you've used a few of those code words for hate.

DOBBS: Name one code word.

MURGUIA: Well, they talk about dehumanizing. They're demonizing immigrants...

DOBBS: That's their word. That's not my word.

MURGUIA: Well, I'm telling you, they've had a...

DOBBS: What's my word?

MURGUIA: ... clear record of documented hate speech.

DOBBS: They have.

MURGUIA: Yes, they have. They are a very well respected voice.

DOBBS: Not by me.

MURGUIA: The Anti-Defamation League...

DOBBS: They are a joke.

MURGUIA: They are not a joke. They are an outstanding organization.

DOBBS: I want you to go to that Web site of yours and listen to that discussion on there. That woman is a joke. OK?

MURGUIA: That's your opinion. We document this.

DOBBS: It's my opinion.

MURGUIA: She talks about...

DOBBS: May I continue?

MURGUIA: ... the efforts to dehumanize and demonize Latinos.

DOBBS: Would you please -- oh, come on.

MURGUIA: When you refer to them as bringing in massive disease, as we know you have...

DOBBS: Do you -- excuse me...

MURGUIA: We can document that.

DOBBS: Eight seconds on the air, referring one time -- let me ask you something. Do you think that illegal aliens should be exempt from public health standards that are applied to every legal immigrant in this country, is that what you're saying?

MURGUIA: This is about code words for hate speech.

DOBBS: Code words.

MURGUIA: That's right.

DOBBS: You are...

MURGUIA: And we document that...

DOBBS: Janet, you and your organization...

MURGUIA: ... on the Web site.

DOBBS: ... are completely out of your minds on this issue. If you think -- you have -- are you calling me a bigot?

MURGUIA: Lou, I stand by my record as leading an organization...

DOBBS: You can stand by your record as you want to...

MURGUIA: ... for 40 years as a civil rights advocacy organization, represents 44 million Hispanics in this country.

DOBBS: You're sitting here, attacking freedom of speech, suggesting that the only one who can oppose you would be (inaudible)...

MURGUIA: We have to draw the line on freedom of speech, when freedom of speech becomes hate speech.

DOBBS: You wouldn't be involved in this debate if it were not...

MURGUIA: Hate speech is not acceptable.

DOBBS: Excuse me. You would not even be involved in this debate on illegal immigration unless the preponderance of those illegal aliens were Hispanic. And you know that is a fact.

MURGUIA: I know...

DOBBS: I would be involved in this debate no matter what.

MURGUIA: ... that we can't stand for dehumanizing and demonizing and scapegoating a segment of our society...

DOBBS: Then why in the world have you not taken on the government of Mexico and Central America, and those who create the conditions that drive -- that drive illegal immigration?

MURGUIA: We have been engaged in this issue...

DOBBS: You have not been engaged.

MURGUIA: Yes, we have. And we are making...

DOBBS: You have not. When was the last time you spoke...

MURGUIA: ... every case right now...

DOBBS: ... with the...

MURGUIA: ... to push back on the hate that dehumanizes...

DOBBS: When was the last time -- when is the last time you even addressed a foreign government and the quality...

MURGUIA: I'm concerned about what's happening here in this country.

DOBBS: Oh, I see.

MURGUIA: This is about...

DOBBS: Why aren't you worrying about our borders being secured, our ports being secured? Why aren't you worried about building...

MURGUIA: We are for comprehensive immigration reform, but this is about hate speech.

DOBBS: Comprehensive immigration reform?

MURGUIA: This is about hate speech, and it has no place...

DOBBS: Janet, what this is about is...

MURGUIA: ... on the air. You can try to divert this away from the hate and the representatives of vigilante groups, and you're standing with these vigilante groups. These are self-avowed vigilante groups. You're standing proudly by them.

You can try to sort of dismiss that, but the reality is, is we can't allow...

DOBBS: No, Janet, I'm dismissing...

MURGUIA: ... for hate speech to be part of this debate...

DOBBS: ... you know...

MURGUIA: ... or to control the network airwaves.

DOBBS: You know that as you speak right now, I have never spoken a hateful word against illegal immigrants.

MURGUIA: You have allowed these folks to have a microphone.

DOBBS: Excuse me.

MURGUIA: You've given hate a microphone by giving them time on this show.

DOBBS: Do we have -- since...

MURGUIA: And you've done it repeatedly. CNN...

DOBBS: OK, would you please put up...

MURGUIA: ... has done it repeatedly.

DOBBS: Oh, come on.

MURGUIA: And in the course of the last three years...

DOBBS: Crimes against Hispanics. Let's put that up. Hate crimes.

MURGUIA: ... the three cable networks have allowed these folks to have the airways...

DOBBS: Here's what you said.

MURGUIA: ... 110 times.

DOBBS: You said on your Web site, 23 percent increase in hate crimes. This is, according to the anti-Hispanic biased crimes in the Federal Bureau...

MURGUIA: According to the FBI and the Department of Justice, yes.

DOBBS: Please, look. In 2005, 522 incidents against Hispanics.

MURGUIA: It's increased by 23 percent in the past three years.

DOBBS: I'm just showing you what the FBI's showing us.

MURGUIA: And 50 percent in California alone.

DOBBS: To 576 against Hispanics...

MURGUIA: There is no coincidence between the extreme rhetoric that the debate has taken and a rise in hate crimes. Words have consequences. And our community is feeling the brunt of that.

DOBBS: Let me show you -- let me show you something.

MURGUIA: Any time you demonize a segment of our society...

DOBBS: No, you're trying to demonize me. And I'm going to show you the reality.

MURGUIA: This isn't about you, Lou. I know this is your...

DOBBS: You took me on and now you got me.

MURGUIA: It's not about -- it's about your networks. It's about your networks holding you and other networks...

DOBBS: I want you to...

MURGUIA: ... accountable.

DOBBS: Oh, please. You can't hold yourself accountable. How could you hold anyone else?

MURGUIA: We are here...

DOBBS: Could you please put this up?

MURGUIA: ... with the facts. Look at the Web site, making a very documented case on this.

DOBBS: Put up what I've said about illegal immigrants in this country, OK? If you would? We're waiting patiently.

MURGUIA: You know...

DOBBS: I think -- let's just go through this here.

MURGUIA: The white hate mail has gone from hate mail to death threats.

DOBBS: If you don't mind -- if you don't mind...

MURGUIA: You know...

DOBBS: By the way, I get a few death threats too. So Janet, you're not the Lone Ranger.

Here's -- may we -- would you do me the service, the kindness...

MURGUIA: I don't have a microphone every night.

DOBBS: Well, you're not going to have one very long here if you don't at least permit me to respond.

MURGUIA: Go ahead.

DOBBS: "I think I'm the only one on this panel" -- this is going back to May 15th, 2006 -- "who's actually worked with migrant workers in the fields, with beans, potatoes, hay in my youth. I know them to be good and decent people."

That was on Larry King.

MURGUIA: Who said that?

DOBBS: I said that. And by the way, I've said I respect illegal immigrants in this country dozens of times, but you don't seem to take note of that. Here's what I said on... MURGUIA: Not when you parade these individuals...

DOBBS: Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me...

MURGUIA: ... who are tied to hate groups and vigilantes...

DOBBS: Oh, come on.

MURGUIA: And when you embrace...

DOBBS: It isn't working, Janet.

MURGUIA: ... vigilante organizations...

DOBBS: We're going to finish this. And then I said...

MURGUIA: When you embrace vigilante organizations, that speaks for itself.

DOBBS: Oh, yes. Well, first of all, they're not a vigilante, they're a volunteer organization. And I think the president...

MURGUIA: Lou, they carry -- they believe in arming themselves.

DOBBS: By the way, it's the Second Amendment, do you believe in it?

MURGUIA: I believe in the Constitution.

DOBBS: They have a right to bear arms.

MURGUIA: But when they go after...

DOBBS: May we complete this?

MURGUIA: ... and hunt down undocumented immigrants -- how do they know who's undocumented...

DOBBS: "I have great respect for the people...

MURGUIA: ... and how do they know who's here legally?

DOBBS: ... who make up...

MURGUIA: You can't tell the difference.

DOBBS: Janet, Janet, just, please...

MURGUIA: They're tracking these folks down in stores...

DOBBS: Just listen. I want to save you as much embarrassment...

MURGUIA: ... not just on the border anymore.

DOBBS: ... as I can.

MURGUIA: Lou...

DOBBS: "I have great respect for the people who make up the preponderance of the illegal alien population in our country, that is Mexican migrant workers." On March 29th, 2006. To Jorge Ramos, who said, "I would love you to meet these illegals that you so called." OK?

I had to tell Jorge, Univision anchor -- unfortunately, partner, there's nothing to be gained here, because I worked with them, I know them, I respect them.

MURGUIA: You don't respect them when you trot out these individuals...

DOBBS: Oh, please.

MURGUIA: ... and when you embrace a vigilante organization.

DOBBS: No, no, you don't respect...

MURGUIA: You don't respect them, Lou, if you're going to continue to put these individuals on the air...

DOBBS: What you're basically saying is my words...

MURGUIA: ... who use this as a platform...

DOBBS: Only the words...

MURGUIA: ... for hate.

DOBBS: ... that you want to use are the ones you'll pay attention to.

MURGUIA: And they're tied to hate groups and vigilante groups.

DOBBS: You won't pay attention to the other words that I use. This broadcast has covered illegal immigration in this country and border security for six years. In that period of time, we have referred to disease three times.

You make a comment on your Web site, that I referred to invaders. You may find it intriguing -- referring to the illegal immigration population in this country -- you may find it intriguing, because we thought we'd go back and look. Invaders has been used six times on this broadcast.

MURGUIA: And we...

DOBBS: Do you know how many...

MURGUIA: You, Glenn Beck, Pat Buchanan -- you're not the only one...

DOBBS: Do you want to listen to what I'm saying?

MURGUIA: I am just making sure you understand...

DOBBS: No. Because I want you to understand...

MURGUIA: ... we documented every piece that you did on this...

DOBBS: But there is, as you say, accountability. And there is truth.

MURGUIA: That's right.

DOBBS: And the reality is it has been used six times on this broadcast. I used it once, and you have used it one-third of the times used on this broadcast.

MURGUIA: You've used these individuals 18 times...

DOBBS: The word "invader" fell from your mouth, not mine.

MURGUIA: You've used these individuals 18 times in the past two years.

DOBBS: Do you want to deal with what I'm saying?

MURGUIA: CNN has used them 48 times.

DOBBS: Or do you want to just keep...

MURGUIA: I'm making the case.

DOBBS: Try it.

MURGUIA: You've used them 18 times.

DOBBS: Invaders, six times.

MURGUIA: We document every time you've done that.

DOBBS: No, we document it. We don't pay attention to your documentation anymore.

MURGUIA: Well, it's hate speech. It's parroting...

DOBBS: Oh, it's hate speech?

MURGUIA: It's parroting hate speech.

DOBBS: OK. Let me tell you what...

MURGUIA: There's no room for hate in this debate.

DOBBS: You're not going to -- you're not...

MURGUIA: There's no room for hate.

DOBBS: There's no room for further distortion.

MURGUIA: We can have an honest policy discussion....

DOBBS: You will not distinguish...

MURGUIA: ... but we need to take hate out of the debate.

DOBBS: You can't have an honest policy discussion.

MURGUIA: We can have an honest policy discussion.

DOBBS: Let's try a couple of things and just see if we can agree on a couple of them, shall we? All right?

MURGUIA: Sure.

DOBBS: We need to secure our borders and our ports for the following reasons. For national security. And the war on terror. To win the war on drugs, because Mexico is the principal source of methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. And to stop illegal immigration. Can we agree?

MURGUIA: We can. This isn't about immigration, though. This is about hate speech and hate groups and vigilante groups, OK?

DOBBS: Oh, I understand. I understand. I know what it's about.

MURGUIA: So we can have...

DOBBS: It's pure political advocacy...

MURGUIA: ... a discussion about immigration policy.

DOBBS: It's fine.

MURGUIA: This isn't about immigration policy.

DOBBS: Do you want to try it?

MURGUIA: This is about hate speech and hate groups.

DOBBS: Do you want to try to go through the list?

MURGUIA: Of?

DOBBS: Of what we might agree on?

MURGUIA: We just talked about the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

DOBBS: And you dismissed it. Sure, if you want to talk about hate speech, let me tell you...

MURGUIA: We agree on the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

DOBBS: If you find -- even though the Congressional Budget Office itself declared that it would deal with only 25 percent of the problem of illegal immigration, would cost the country a fortune.

MURGUIA: What would? Dealing with...

DOBBS: Comprehensive immigration reform legislation that was declined (ph) in the United States Senate on June 28th, 2007.

MURGUIA: We can have -- we can have a separate discussion on immigration.

DOBBS: No, that's what the Congressional Budget...

MURGUIA: But don't dismiss this hate speech and the fact that these individuals that you parade and cloak with an air of respectability are identified and self-avowed vigilante organizations and hate groups.

DOBBS: OK.

MURGUIA: I mean, we can have a separate discussion about immigration. This is about keeping hate and hate speech out of the debate.

DOBBS: You said it wasn't about me. Now, is it about me or it isn't?

MURGUIA: It's about holding you accountable with your networks. And we did cite other networks, MSNBC and Fox.

DOBBS: I don't care about them. I don't care. I care about this broadcast...

MURGUIA: Well, we care about it, because...

DOBBS: ... and me.

MURGUIA: ... this repeated and relentless...

DOBBS: And I care about it because I believe you...

MURGUIA: ... use of these individuals to distort...

DOBBS: ... and your socio-ethnocentric interest group....

MURGUIA: ... immigrants -- oh please, Lou.

DOBBS: ... are trying to drive an agenda that has nothing...

MURGUIA: Ethnocentric -- we're a civil rights organization.

DOBBS: You're an ethnocentric organization...

MURGUIA: ... trying to level the playing field...

DOBBS: You're not trying to level anything.

MURGUIA: I'm as much of an ethnocentric organization as you are part of...

DOBBS: You're trying to...

MURGUIA: ... the media elite, a corporate conglomerate here on CNN.

DOBBS: Really?

MURGUIA: Yes.

DOBBS: I couldn't agree with you more.

MURGUIA: Well, OK. Embrace that title. I don't embrace your title that you've given me. We're a civil rights and advocacy organization...

DOBBS: You're going to have to (inaudible) something...

MURGUIA: ... with the record of creating opportunities...

DOBBS: You are now attacking me...

MURGUIA: ... for the Hispanics in this country.

DOBBS: You are attacking people for hate speech...

MURGUIA: We've opened the door for opportunities...

DOBBS: ... and I'm going to fight you with every resource I have, because you have stepped over the line. And you are trying to tear apart the First Amendment. You can't stomach the fact...

MURGUIA: Not at all.

DOBBS: ...that there are different opinions...

MURGUIA: Free speech is one thing; hate speech is another thing.

DOBBS: Should I ask for La Raza to be disbanded because you and I disagree about illegal immigration with me?

MURGUIA: I'm not trying to disband you.

DOBBS: Should you disband?

MURGUIA: I'm saying...

DOBBS: You said, take me out of my chair?

(CROSSTALK)

MURGUIA: If you don't...

DOBBS: If I don't conform to you and your standards.

MURGUIA: If you don't conform to standards that any American would embrace.

DOBBS: La Raza is now an advocacy group trying to drive amnesty for illegal aliens in this country...

MURGUIA: That's your opinion.

DOBBS: No, it's what you're doing.

MURGUIA: No, it's not.

DOBBS: OK, then you tell me. You don't want amnesty?

MURGUIA: We're here talking about hate speech.

DOBBS: You don't want amnesty?

MURGUIA: No.

DOBBS: OK.

MURGUIA: We're supporting...

DOBBS: Then we're good.

MURGUIA: We have supported taking deliberate steps to allow for an earned citizenship pathway for the folks who are here. We need to address the issue of immigration.

But today, Lou, this is about taking hate speech and representatives of hate groups...

DOBBS: No, you're trying to stifle speech.

MURGUIA: ... and vigilante...

DOBBS: You're trying to stifle speech.

MURGUIA: Absolutely not. There is a line that has been crossed...

DOBBS: And you know...

MURGUIA: ... and we know when that line is crossed, Lou...

DOBBS: You do.

MURGUIA: We've seen it crossed before.

DOBBS: You are now the standard bearer for truth and free speech in this country?

MURGUIA: We need to hold networks accountable.

DOBBS: I thought you were a civil rights -- you need to hold yourself accountable.

MURGUIA: As a civil rights organization...

DOBBS: You've got half the Hispanic kids in this country almost dropping out of high school.

MURGUIA: And we can work on agendas to help...

DOBBS: You are -- and you're going -- and what are you doing?

MURGUIA: ... address that, but we can't, because every day we're tarred and feathered...

DOBBS: What you are doing -- you're working on illegal immigration...

MURGUIA: ... with this issue, and you contribute to that.

DOBBS: Janet Murguia, you have contributed to, to me, just a reprehensible approach on the part of any organization. You've joined the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is now nothing more than an advocacy and fund-raising organization. I think you are the one who should be held accountable.

MURGUIA: We are going to hold you accountable with the networks and we're going to hold...

DOBBS: And we're going to hold you accountable as well.

MURGUIA: ... Glenn Beck accountable, we're going to hold...

DOBBS: You can hold everybody accountable.

MURGUIA: ... all those individuals who...

DOBBS: The reality is, you can't stand the fact that we have free speech in this country, that you can be opposed and opposed effectively...

MURGUIA: Free speech is one thing...

DOBBS: ... by people who care about reason...

MURGUIA: ... hate speech is another, Lou.

DOBBS: ... in this country. Oh, come on.

MURGUIA: We won't tolerate hate speech.

DOBBS: You won't tolerate it?

MURGUIA: That's right.

DOBBS: Neither will I.

MURGUIA: OK.

DOBBS: Thank you very much. MURGUIA: Thanks.

DOBBS: Janet Murguia.

Still ahead, three top political analysts join me. We'll have the latest on the presidential campaign. Stay with us and I just want to say, Janet Murguia, you're welcome back any time to continue this discussion. Anyone who wants to advocate on the basis -- we delight in having you here.

MURGUIA: Thank you.

DOBBS: Thank you. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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