Hillary Clinton Faked Her Background for Presidential Announcement?

Jackson Simpson

Oh how I've missed the Clintons. I can still recall how Bill Clinton could cry on cue at funerals and how Hillary Clinton could blame a vast right-wing conspiracy for her husband being serviced by an intern that reportedly admitted she went to Washington, DC to earn her presidential kneepads.
Very little about the Clinton's has ever been real - and it appears Hillary 2008 will at least start off that way. A report online from media watchdog Newsbusters notes that the background in Hillary's announcement is fake.
The woman who would be president gave dives right in with another '60 Minutes' softening type episode just as she did when she tried to say that her hubby had not had an affair with Jennifer Flowers. The idea, take the shrill out of Hillary. That means the background needs some greenery and some flowers, even if it is the middle of winter.
Newsbusters gives this analysis. Please focus on the background, look out the door. Presumably the announcement was shot in one of Hillary's homes: Chappaqua or Georgetown. Now I know it's been a mild winter, but even so, surely the leaves are gone from the trees and bushes in either spot. And check out the yellow spot in the bushes. At first I thought it was just a warm dapple of sunshine. But freeze the frame when, about 1/4 of the way through, Hillary says "how to end the deficits that threaten Social Security."
That's not sunshine -- those are flowers in bloom, newsbusters claims.
Of course, one should be aware that the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing as Hillary is in the race. Hillary is already being lampooned on national television and radio.
An update notes that Rush Limbaugh and Fox & Friends have had some fun with the issue. On Fox & Friends this morning, host Steve Doocy, noting the preternaturally green background, surmised the video had been shot back in October or November. Guest Juan Williams told him the word is it was done last Thursday in DC. When Juan later joked about going skiing, host Brian Kilmeade chipped in: "judging by the background of the Hillary Clinton clip, it's not -- it's too nice, there's no snow."
Gone is the huge cover of Star Magazine presented by Jennifer fowers and the free pass Bill Clinton received when he was nabbed diddling the blonde bombshell. That will be replaced by online video and tougher scrutiny.

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Terrorists And Criminals Gain Entry Into US Through Fraud

Jim Kouri

Immigration fraud is yet another method used by criminals and terrorists to gain entry into the United States illegally to carry out their agendas. The Identity and Benefits Fraud Unit, an investigative component of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is the agency responsible for detecting, deterring, and disrupting the fraudulent schemes used by terrorist and criminal organizations. In fiscal year 2006, the IBF Unit opened about 4,000 new cases of immigration fraud and received or developed thousands of leads.
As the largest investigative arm in the Department of Homeland Security, ICE unites the functions, resources, and legal authorities of several previously fragmented border and security organizations into an integrated homeland security agency focused on investigations and enforcement.
ICE's mission is to prevent terrorist and criminal acts by targeting the people, money, and materials that support terrorist and criminal networks. A key tool in committing immigration fraud is the use of fraudulent documents.
These documents can be used to gain illegal entry to the United States, traffic or smuggle aliens, obtain government benefits, or obtain unauthorized employment. ICE investigators target criminal organizations that deal in fraudulent documents, shutting down a key vulnerability in the immigration system.
For example, a recent case in Washington, DC saw ICE agents target four document fraud/counterfeiting operations, seizing over 1,800 false documents, shutting down four document mills, and apprehending 50 illegal aliens.
ICE's Forensic Documents Laboratory (FDL) is a critical investigative tool in the fight against immigration fraud and counterfeiting. The FDL is the only federal crime lab devoted almost entirely to the forensic examination of documents and offers a full line of analysis and examination services to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
The IBF Unit is leading the fight against immigration fraud through a variety of strategic initiatives. The National Fraud Strategy is the IBF Unit's key antifraud effort focused on identifying targets and developing criteria for prioritizing cases. The NFS expands the unit's investigative capabilities with newly established Benefit Fraud Units, task forces, and other strategic enforcement strategies.
The NFS also seeks to detect and shut down vulnerabilities in the immigration system that could be exploited by terrorist and criminal organizations.ICE also participates in the interagency Identity & Benefits Fraud Task Force, which seeks to restore integrity to the immigration process and prevent terrorists and criminals from entering the United States.
The task force brings together the expertise and authorities of several immigration and law enforcement agencies, along with prosecutors, to target immigration fraud by sharing information on fraud cases, developing new leads, and identifying trends in immigration fraud. Participants include ICE, the Department of State, the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the FBI, the IRS, the US Postal Service, US Attorneys' offices, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Fairfax County Police Department.
Operation Integrity is an IBF Unit initiative to restore integrity to the immigration system and to address vulnerabilities in the system that terrorist or criminal organizations could exploit to gain entry to the country. Operation Integrity will support a nationwide system of "IBF Task Forces" to detect, deter, and disrupt criminal and terrorist organizations that attempt to exploit the immigration system, using the full range of ICE's investigative capabilities to fight IBF fraud.

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