Recent hideous events have focused GOP eyes squarely on the issue of illegal immigration - even the eyes of the sometimes self-contradictory.

First, volatile Newt Gingrich gets a bellyache and lashes out at the politicians currently in power:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday he is “sickened” that President Bush and Congress went on vacation “while young Americans in our cities are massacred” by illegal immigrants.

Gingrich, who is considering a run for the White House, was referring to a recent crime in Newark, N.J., where three college students were murdered execution style in a school playground.

One of the suspects — Jose Lachira Carranza — is an illegal immigrant from Peru who was on bail on charges of raping a child when the murders occurred.

Gingrich argues our domestic situation is as dangerous as a war zone:

The federal government’s incompetence, timidity and uncoordinated efforts to identify and deport criminal illegal aliens have had devastating consequences for innocent Americans,” Gingrich said, in a newsletter.

Gingrich said that the “war here at home” against illegal immigrants is “even more deadly than the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

“As an American, I am sickened that the political leadership of America could continue to go on vacation and do nothing,” he said. “Why are the August vacations for the president and the Congress more precious than the lives of young Americans who are being killed because of government incompetence and inaction.”

Further, in a position which should be a prominent cornerstone of every GOP candidate’s stump speech, Gingrich called for Congress to “withdraw federal aid from any city, county or state that refuses to participate in checking the legal status of arrested felons.”

Gingrich is completely right on this score. Shameless politicians like Bill White, who offer criminal aliens “sanctuary” as part of their political pandering, should be tossed out on their ears for the dangers they continue to impose on their own citizens. Yes, folks, people like Bill White are putting your families at risk.

Of course, Newt can have you cheering for him one minute, booing him the next. Consider, for example, this report on a recent talk to young Republicans where he referred to Republican thinking as “maniacally dumb,” wanted special dispensation to praise Hillary Clinton, and said the war on terror is a “phony war.” I am sure many in Cindy Sheehan’s circle will particularly enjoy that last remark. His behavior continues to make one wonder whether he has the temperament to be president.

Then, we have Rudy Giuliani becoming desperate to run from his record of welcoming illegals into New York City when he was Mayor. Now, no doubt through a mouthful of grits, he says he wants to be the tough guy on immigration:

AIKEN, S.C. (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani vowed Tuesday to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States by closely tracking visitors to the country and beefing up border security.

“We can end illegal immigration. I promise you, we can end illegal immigration,” the former New York mayor said at a community center - the first of the day’s two stops in this early voting state.

Rudy’s immigration offensive follows a series of attacks from Mitt Romney, who compared Giuliani’s policies to those of other sanctuary cities where recent atrocities have been committed by illegal aliens (even though New York apparently never declared itself a “sanctuary” - they just acted like it!).

Giuliani’s plan includes a tamper proof (whatever that is) ID card, with fingerprinting, for everyone entering the country. He also said he supports construction of the border fence and would deport any illegal who committed a felony. (I question the wisdom of the last proposal unless we can feel comfortable the deportee doesn’t walk right back over the border to do more crime.)

Rudy’s tough talk came in the home state of Flim Flam Graham (Rastus, are you listening?), who is facing a mutiny by grass roots Republicans who want him out over his infuriating hucksterism of the amnesty bill. So, we will see if Giuliani sings a different tune when he hits, say, California. In light of previous positions they’ve taken on various issues, the question we must answer about him and Romney is: Can they be trusted?

[As a side note, the same story contains this incredibly stupid invitation by RINO New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg when asked about New York as a sanctuary city: "let 'em come." Obviously, the good mayor hasn't been keeping up on current events.]

If there is one thing we can say about the events of this summer, the illegal immigration problem is finally getting the attention it deserves. At least from the GOP.

Do you have guts? Well don’t keep ‘em all to yourself! The state has launched a website allowing potential organ donors to sign up online. Here’s how dire the problem is:

There are more than 96,000 patients in the United States awaiting transplantation—more than 7,000 are Texans.

Every 13 minutes, a new name is added to the national transplant waiting list. Every day, 17 people die waiting for a life-saving organ transplant.

It’s pretty easy. Sign up online — it took me two minutes — and you’ll get a letter in the mail. Sign it, get two witnesses, and sent it back. An organ and tissue donor can help as many as 50 people.

Still a bit queasy about the whole thing? Take a look at the myths and facts.

LST reader “Recon” once again lives up to her name, and passes on her photo from the Weld County (Colorado) Veterans Memorial:

The plaque beneath the statue is inscribed with this message:

In grateful memory of Private Joe P. Martinez, A.S. No. 37332507, who died in the service of his country
in the North American Area, May 26, 1943

He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live, and grow, and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it, he lives — in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT
President of the United States of America

Well done, Recon.

Got pics or story ideas to share with our audience? Hit up our TipLine™: lsteditors at gmail dot com.

CORRECTION: Recon is not a guy. Recon is a lady. The post has been updated.

So much for hopes of open government in a President Hillary Clinton administration:

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton cites her experience as a compelling reason voters should make her president, but nearly 2 million pages of documents covering her White House years are locked up in a building here, obscuring a large swath of her record as first lady.

Clinton’s calendars, appointment logs and memos are stored at her husband’s presidential library, in the custody of federal archivists who do not expect them to be released until after the 2008 presidential election.

Is there a hint of a conspiracy here? After all, federal archivists are making this decision (though we haven’t yet heard Hillary say “Release the documents!”), but what is the true motivation?

But even in the healthcare documents [some of which were released at the request of hubby Bill], at least 1,000 pages involving her work has been censored by archives staff because they include confidential advice and must be kept secret under a federal law called the Presidential Records Act. Political consultants said that if Hillary Clinton’s records were made public, rivals would mine them for scraps of information that might rattle her campaign.

Imagine that! Opponents using primary source documents to . . .show the truth? Heaven forbid!

Is this really a case of archivists being understaffed, thus coincidentally pushing the release of documents back until after the next presidential election? Or is it an effort to allow her to spin for the next year-plus without the pesky facts of her actual past getting in the way?

Conspiracy theory, anyone?

On the other hand, is this something about which the Republicans, with a straight face, can complain? After all, haven’t we been defending executive privilege on various occasions in the Bush Administration?

So many questions, so few answers.

In the Old Testament, God tells Jehu:

I lifted you up from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel

And now his people Israel are doing a little lifting of their own:

It may not sound kosher but Israeli researchers are using pigs to test an innovative technology they say will replace cosmetic breast surgery. But we’ll get back to that later.

The MIM technique (Minimally Invasive Mastopexy), developed by the startup of the same name, promises to reshape, support and lift breast soft tissue in a much more minimally invasive manner than today’s cosmetic breast surgery. They’re calling their breast support kit the ‘Cup&Up’.

What we’ve done is build a silicon bra, insert it into the body and attach it to the ribs and to the fascia. It’s like a normal external bra,” he continues, “where a strip lies on the shoulder and attaches around the body. We attach it to the ribs instead of to the shoulder, and to the fascia in the lower part of the body.”

Keep up the good work, guys.

PREVIOUSLY IN ISRAELI SCIENCE: Israeli students build neo-Biblical Jewbots

Yesterday, you probably saw this tragic story by the Chron’s Mike Glenn:

Brandon Brown was driving on I-10 early Sunday when he saw the wreckage that had been snarling traffic for several hours.

Only later would he learn the car was his sister’s, and that she, her new husband and her 2-year-old son had died in the flaming wreckage. They were victims, police say, of a drunken driver whose blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

Police said the driver of the van, Juan Felix Salinas, 42, was treated for minor injuries at Memorial Hermann Hospital, where his blood-alcohol level tested at three times the .08 legal limit for intoxication in Texas.

Salinas, who was out on $1,500 bond for a previous charge of assaulting a family member, is facing three counts of intoxication manslaughter, police said.

Out of curiosity, I ran the guy’s name to find what I could about his criminal record. And wouldn’t you know it? The scumbag didn’t have a driver’s license — just a Texas ID card, frequently obtained by illegal immigrants.

And sure enough, a follow-up story by Glenn confirms my suspicion:

A man accused of causing a fiery wreck that killed a family of three on the East Freeway is in the country illegally, authorities said.

Juan Felix Salinas, 42, voluntarily returned to his home in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, two years ago, officials said. But he returned to the U.S., eventually making his way back to the Houston area.

I don’t know how to put this any more plainly: the lawlessness of Central America is pouring across our southern border.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post mistakenly linked to the first story twice. The second link has now been corrected to connect to the Chron’s follow-up story. The staffer responsible has been beaten to a bloody pulp.

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