This is by John Hawkins at RWN

In any case, I think this is just another example of how George Bush has allowed an antagonistic relationship to develop between him and the people who should be his big supporters. Once George Bush got to the big dance, he acted as if he didn't need the support of the people who brought him there anymore and he, along with the rest of the Republican Party, are paying one hell of a price for it.

-- Speaking of illegal aliens, a federal immigration raid at a chicken-processing plant in Georgia is proving some of what people opposed to illegal immigration have been saying for years. Here's the rundown from Michelle Malkin's blog:

"Now here's a fair and thorough look at the aftermath of a federal immigration raid at a chicken-processing plant in Georgia that sent hundreds illegal workers packing. The plant, Crider, was forced to hire Georgians--many of them black, and many from off the welfare rolls:

...for local African-Americans, the dramatic appearance of federal agents presented an unexpected opportunity. Crider suddenly raised pay at the plant. An advertisement in the weekly Forest-Blade newspaper blared "Increased Wages" at Crider, starting at $7 to $9 an hour -- more than a dollar above what the company had paid many immigrant workers. The company began offering free transportation from nearby towns and free rooms in a company-owned dormitory near to the plant. For the first time in years, local officials say, Crider aggressively sought workers from the area's state-funded employment office -- a key avenue for low-skilled workers to find jobs. Of 400 candidates sent to Crider -- most of them black -- the plant hired about 200.

Interestingly, there was a lot of friction between these new workers and the Crider management. Two sides to the story, I suppose, but it seems to me that Crider was disappointed to work with actual employees who could demand their rights and speak up and who expect an ice pack when they get injured on the job. It's much easier when your processing plant is staffed by powerless, compliant drones who you can threaten to send back to Mexico and who therefore dare not organize or even gripe."

Well, lookie, lookie, Americans are taking jobs that illegal aliens once held. But, I thought those were, "jobs Americans won't do?" Of course, the truth is that there are no such jobs, there are only jobs Americans won't do at a certain price and what we had here was illegal aliens driving down the wages for a job and thereby taking jobs that Americans would have otherwise done.

-- The fact that border patrol agents Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos are being railroaded into jail for shooting a scumbag illegal alien who was trying to run drugs into the United States is a disgrace and a miscarriage of justice. These guys deserve to have medals pinned on their chests for risking their lives to prevent a drug shipment from hitting the streets instead of being sent off to the slammer. I'm not sure there have been two men in the last 20 years more deserving of a pardon than Compean and Ramos.