Tuesday Roundup: Too Little, Too Late

It looks like Bush is planning to formulate a response to the many Republicans that have stepped up to challenge him on our continued occupation of Iraq. He will now be emphasizing plans to bring some troops home next year. That's not a particularly generous concession, considering that reports that the government in Baghdad has not met a single target for improvement in the area have legislators considering pushing forward the date for action on the war from September to July. Hey, maybe those Congressional Democrats were onto something after all, huh?

Our old friend Gonzo isn't doing much better on the Political Capital Meter either. Turns out Attorney General Alberto Gonzales had received a copy of a report on violations of civil liberties by the FBI — one of at least six reports he'd received on the subject — six days before testifying that "there has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse." Apparently he was speaking "in the context" of a report from the Department of Justice's inspector general from a year ago. Hey, did you know that we're running a budget surplus? Oh, I'm not lying — I simply mean that "in the context" of 1999, of course. Not that I care whether that's a lie or not. After all, what are you going to do — impeach me?

Ron Paul continues to get barrels and barrels of media attention from being the one guy in the Republican primary that speaks against the war. The Statesman's site is currently leading off with a piece on Ron Paul's "eclectic platform." He might not be doing so well in the polls just yet, but between all the free media and his having more cash in hand than McCain, those who had him picked as first one out of the running in their office pool look like they won't be seeing any of their money. His numbers have nowhere to go but up. (Watch out, Governor Gilmore! - J.B. ed.)

The Dallas Morning News has a downright frightening piece on civilian vigilantism on the U.S.-Mexico border. We've already heard a good deal about how local ranchers in the area aren't in favor of a border fence, believing that it sours relationships with the one country that could help us with the border security problem. Apparently, however, certain folks have taken it upon themselves to enforce international boundaries,

...driv[ing] along the banks of the Rio Grande, usually solo, hoping to deter any illegal immigrant, or possible terrorist from entering.

"The idea here is simple: protect American sovereignty," he says. "A country that cannot protect its border is no longer a country. It no longer has any sovereignty."

Personally, I would far prefer for the American government to handle border security than some random armed individual, but then again, what do I know? After all, the article claims that some Border Patrol agents have given him permission to drive around "protecting our sovereignty." I can't imagine their superiors know about that; I can't help but think that someone in the Border Patrol realizes what an international disaster that quickly becomes as soon as he decides to use some of the firepower he's hauling around against another person.

And finally today, if you own a home or property in Dallas County, you may want to call your county tax office. Apparently, over two thousand Dallas County homeowners double-paid their 2005 property taxes after a state law mandated the sending of tax statements to property owners as well as to any agents that would pay on their behalf. The article notes that a number of private companies are offering to recover refunds for Dallas County residents at usurious costs, sometimes up to half of the refund itself. If you think you may have been affected, you can download an application for a refund of your property taxes at http://www.dallascounty.org/department/tax/taxoffice_home.html or by calling or writing your county tax office.