In Texas, where Spanish is heard everywhere, I am lamenting the miniscule Spanish speaking ability I have left from 4 years of high school Spanish.  What I do speak is enough to get me in trouble.  I have an excellent accent which leads the Spanish-speaking person I direct mi pequeno espanol in the direction of the native Spanish-speaking person to mistake me for someone with far greater ability....[sigh]....and they begin to rattle off a full-blown conversation leaving me totally in the dust!  This old brain is lucky to remember their name, let alone how to quickly translate from Spanish to English back to Spanish that can actually come out of my mouth.

Since much of my time is dedicated to doing what I can do for our wounded warriors as a Soldiers' Angel, I am one frustrated lady!  There is one particular soldier with whom I cannot effectively communicate.  Corporal P is an El Salvadoran soldier who was wounded fighting alongside our troops in Iraq.  He speaks not a word of English, and is so lonely.  I can take care of many of his creature comforts (intercontinental phone cards to speak to his family, a table and chair for his room so he can sit and eat dinner), but I cannot help his loneliness. 

Fortunately, I do have friends who speak Spanish, and one in particular is a retired USAF Colonel who was stationed in El Salvador.  Red was kind enough to go visit with Cpl. P, and reported that he wants so badly to see his children.  His wife was able to be with him for a week, but he's not seen his kids in well over a year.  He has been "rebuilt", and has more steel than some small cars.  There is very little of his own bones in his right side.   If there is someone you know in El Salvador (are you hearing me, Laura Ingraham?) can you help this young man to see his family?  If you are serious, and want to help achieve this "wish" from Cpl. P, my e-mail address is on the top of this page.  Please e-mail me, and I will help you to make this happen.

Now for my frustration with Tony Snow talking to Sean Hannity on his radio show this afternoon, besides Sean's usual "talking over" problem.  Tony was there trying to "sell" the amnesty bill to conservatives.  Tony & Sean are neither one seeing the worst problem with this abomination of a bill.  And what is that, you ask? 

It is quite simple, actually:  What good are more border agents when the ones we have, are being put into jail for doing their job, or are being pelted with rocks and sling-shots with ball bearings, not to mention military-trained militias smuggling drugs?  Google border agents Gary Brugman, Compeanos, and Ramos.  Sorry, Tony Snow.  As much as I love you, I no longer trust your boss or our congress.  Y'all redefine "forked tongue". 

"Dear Mr. President:

I am glad to see that you fired some U.S. attorneys. But you missed one: U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who prosecuted border guards Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean instead of a professional drug smuggler, and who prosecuted Texas Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez instead of a professional people-smuggler.

Yes, you have the presidential prerogative to hire and fire U.S. attorneys for any reason or for no reason. Any prosecutor has large discretion in whether to bring a case to trial or not, and the public has the right to know why he made that decision.

So much has come out since the Ramos and Compean trial that proves the decision to criminally prosecute them was a gross miscarriage of justice. Their alleged violation, if true, deserved, at most, an administrative reprimand. "