After uncovering misdeeds within the Department of Corrections' Juvenile Sector, Governor George Bridges removed Undersecretary of Corrections Jerry Warner from his position. The move was at first seen to be very controversial. Opponents of the move felt that the Governor was seeking retaliation for Warner's public support of Senator Matthias Roland during the gubernatorial campaign. However, once news leaked of the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse brought about by personnel within the Department of Corrections under Jerry Warner's watch, the region overwhelmingly supported Governor Bridges move. The officers involved were indicted and sentenced to a minimum of 7 years in regional prison. Due to the nature of their work while employed by the Department of Corrections, the officers are being held in facilities outside of The Heartland to ensure fair treatment and justice.

Bridges appointed Kayla Montclaire, who was directly in charge of the Administration Sector of the Department of Corrections. Montclaire assumed Warner's duties immediately after Warner was escorted out of his office by Adjutant General Morales and two Heartland Rangers. Governor Bridges issued a press statement stating that "Undersecretary Montclaire is a steady hand for a department that has been rattled with corruption amongst its ranks and within its facilities. I am confident in her ability to guide the Department of Corrections through this storm and beyond."

Ricardo Morales was elected Governor of The Heartland after Democratic challenger Bentley Reed failed to continue the strong showing of George Bridges in Jefferson City. Morales, the Adjutant General of The Heartland under Governors A.J. Dresner and George Bridges, focused his campaign on the successes of The Heartland Rangers during the Tim Schuetzle case and the handling of border patrol after the Sentinels debacle (see below). Morales used Senator Matthias Roland's colonias bill as the foundation for his campaign, seeking to rally the citizens of the region around securing our border, protecting jobs, and keeping our schools safe for all to learn. The bill never made it out of the Senate, but Morales sought to change that at the regional level. Unfortunately, soon after Morales announced his intent to focus on colonias, the "Delgado Affair" came to light (see below). Years later, these colonias still resemble the third-world living conditions that then-Senator Roland spoke of in the 1990s.

The Big 3 has successfully evolved into the Big 4. At least, that's what those in Kansas City, Missouri are saying. Though the car manufacturer is not based in the United States, Governor Bridges successfully brokered a deal with the Honda Corporation to base the company's U.S. operations out of The Heartland. The deal brought about an economic resurgence for a city that was on the brink of entering a small-scale recession. Wherever you look in KC, Honda has made an impact. Through its "Power America" campaign, Honda raised enough funds to invest in beautification projects throughout The Heartland, a grant program developed by the Honda Corporation in conjunction with members of the former Governor's staff. Honda continues to play a significant role in the Ozarks and throughout The Heartland. A handful of other corporations have taken note of Honda's successes -- mostly financial -- in the region and are looking to follow suit. It's yet to be seen if any other major brands will be welcomed into The Heartland, but as the mayor of Kansas City put it: "The more, the merrier."

Under the governorship of George Bridges, The Heartland saw an enhanced awareness on border security. The regional legislature, with a Republican majority, unanimously passed Bridges' proposal to create The Heartland Sentinels. The Sentinels primary mission was to oversee the protection of the region's, and thus the nation's, border along Mexico. The bill was hailed as a proactive approach to the growing issue of illegal immigration. The regional media called the bill the "Heartland's floodwall." However, as the years have passed and the effectiveness of the bill becomes apparent, regional media have turned it from the "floodwall" to the "open floodgate."

Under the leadership of Bridges-appointed Amanda Delgado, who once worked under Adjutant General Ricardo Morales, the Sentinels proved to be a grand idea with too many holes to be effective. The bill called for a broad range of duties for the new agency including: border patrol, coastal patrol, natural disaster relief efforts, and combating terrorist activities. The key downfall in the legislation was the appropriations . . . or lack thereof. The initial funding for the Heartland Sentinels came from the existing budget of the Adjutant General's office. Without the necessary equipment and with a lack of proper training, the Sentinels proved to be in over their heads.

Three years after the agency became part of the Adjutant General's office, Director Delgado resigned citing personal reasons. After an investigation by the Adjutant General's office, it was found that Amanda Delgado's parents illegally moved to the United States in the 1950s, bringing their 2 year old daughter with them. After this initial finding, the investigation dug deeper to report that multiple individuals who had been detained by Sentinel forces for crossing the border illegally were dismissed after, as the reports suggest, "findings were insignificant to continue the detainment process." Delgado was arrested by the Heartland Rangers for her role in permitting persons-of-interest access into the country illegally, thereby knowingly dismissing her oath of office. After a trial, she was granted probation for her role in the unethical handling of The Heartland Sentinels. Many citizens of The Heartland denounced the ruling. The overwhelming sentiment was that Delgado received special treatment because of her friendship with then-Governor Ricardo Morales, her former boss.

Today, many Heartlanders question the ethical handling of The Sentinels. Ricardo Morales took the reigns of the agency, molding its mission into border patrol and successfully detaining a number of attempted illegal immigrants. However, the stain of the Delgado years remains. The mission of The Sentinels has yet to be fulfilled. And, the incoming Governor has to find a way to clean up the government of The Heartland. With the Department of Corrections still trying to uncover itself from the Jerry Warner era and The Sentinels attempting to stay afloat post-Delgado, the future Governor of The Heartland needs to send a message to all Heartlanders that their interests are at heart and the safety of The Heartland is a primary goal.

As elections approach, ethics and border security are issues on the front-burner. The Heartland is in need of a reimaging. The Dresner/Bridges era is a distant memory for most. Heartlanders are looking for a leader who brings a strong ethical code and who has a plan to move The Heartland out of these abysmal years. Who will step up?

Eight-tenths of a point. That is all that separated George Bridges Jr. and Matthias Roland when the then-Sunbelt Senator vied for the gubernatorial seat in Jefferson City. While history saw George Bridges rise to power as conservative Democrat thanks in no small part to luck, today marks the beginning of a new journey for Roland. After former Lieutenant Governor Tom Jacks (who coincidentally served under George Bridges) failed to gain much support from the disenchanted Democratic base, Matthias Roland rode the waves to victory. Seeing close to 66% of the final vote in his favor, Governor Roland has been given a mandate to run the region with an iron, conservative fist alongside his Lieutenant Governor, Republican Richard Fairview.

Running on a security-driven platform, Roland is seeking to reimage The Heartland as the region that solved border issue, rather than the region that attempted-to-but-failed to solve it. His platform was well-received throughout the region, especially in The Heartland's newest states. While most are excited to have a proven leader at the helm after the successful, yet tumultuous, Morales years, there are skeptics throughout the media, especially in the Ozarks, that believe Roland is in over his head. One criticism read that "The Governor is going to be so focused on Texas' many problems, that the rest of us will remain in the Lone Star Shadow." The difficulty of overcoming this hurdle seems to be one that most critics agree on.

Legislature Update: Following Republican victories in 4 of the 5 major HRT elections, the Legislature picked up 2 seats in favor of the GOP. The official balance is 65 -- 35, with the Lieutenant Governor being the tie-breaking vote.

. . . unless you're a Republican. Seeing Dean Windsor take one of the two Texas Senate seats was heartbreaking for most Republicans in the state. With challenger Valeria Smith unable to file with the Federal Elections Committee within the set deadline period, Windsor took the seat without a challenge. Early polls suggested that Windsor would have been defeated if the election were to have occurred, with Smith taking more than 55% of the vote. However, with all Heartland elections wrapped up, those numbers were probably inflated. Windsor detractors won't let that argument stop them, however. "His seat is up soon," Dallas County Republican Party Chair Jeff Richy stated. "We're going to find the best possible candidate to step up and take on Windsor and his liberal buddies up in D.C. The clock is ticking on a 'Senator' Windsor." While that remains to be seen, Windsor isn't dumb. He realizes that he must rub elbows with some regional Republicans and take on some of their initiatives and priorities. Windsor only needs to look at the George Bridges model of how to claim victory as a Texas Democrat. Hopefully he doesn't follow the 1994 model.

While Texas split in half, the Ozarks remained intact for the Republican Party. Both victories by 3 points, former Great Plains Senator Johnny Joe Allen claimed victory as one of the Ozarks' first U.S. Senators. His partner in the Senate, J.L. Sexton, hopes to carry their party's banner in the Upper Chamber of Congress. With only 7 Senators, the Republican Party walked away from the 2010 election season battered and bruised. Some in the Deep South and Texas are proud of their "mega-minority." Most would like to never hear that phrase again. The Heartland controls just under half of the Republican Senate Caucus. The GOP base throughout the region hopes to see their priorities high on the Senate Republican's wishlist. After all, you don't want to bite the hand that feeds you . . . right?

With the War on Terror in limbo, President White's indecisiveness at the forefront of the media, and the Democratic electoral gains throughout the country, a small -- but rapidly growing -- contingent of fanatical Christians have made public its intent on declaring war against the "state of Islam." The group, which identifies itself as Sarcalogos Lex, or "Christian Law" in Latin, is led by preacher Fred Phelps, former leader of the defunct Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps has been quoted as once saying "Mohammed was a demon-possessed whoremonger and pedophile who contrived a 300-page work of Satanic fiction: The Quran!"

The group's numbers started off rather small, about 80 people strong. Most followed Phelps into the group after several banks declared that Phelps' Westboro church had defaulted on several loans that were meant for various projects within the church. Instead, they were spent on the church's several travels throughout the country in protest of various things from homosexuality to funerals of servicemen and women. After the banks forced Phelps' church into financial ruin, Phelps upstarted this new religious groups. As dissent grows throughout the region on the nation's stance on the war (or lack of a stance), Phelps' Sarcalogos Lex is growing. Phelps spoke at a recent group rally saying "The Quran has ruined the Arab world and is slowly seeping into our American culture. We must take a stand! We must prevent the hell-damned snake from claiming America as a victim. It's time to declare war on the state of Islam in America! Unlike the Anti-Christ's puppet Stanford White, we will show whoremongers a fight that they are predestined to lose!"

While Phelps' group is not being taken all-too-seriously in most eastern and western parts of the country, The Heartland is taking notice. Some see Phelps and the Sarcalogos as an embarrassment and a regional scar. Others see him a driven leader. While both sides agree that The Heartland should stand up and fight back, that which it should fight against is in contention.

In a recent interview with Kansas City Star Vice President and columnist of the Editorial Miriam Salt, Fred Phelps spoke on the success and growth of his Sarcalogos Lex organization and announced his impending resignation as the organization's head. Salt wrote that "Since national media corporations spotlighted the Sarcalogos Lex, the organization has increased its number by the hundreds. Phelps, the senior leader and founder of the organization, eagerly pointed out that the SL is beginning to "outsource" its organization to other regions and states. 'It's a national movement, not an underground or grassroots movement like some of the major players in our society like to cast it', he said. While I was unable to confirm his report, he frequently referenced the Sarcalogos Lex as a movement comparable to that of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights era of the 1960s. 'Our plights are the same" Phelps continued, "We are seeking justice and claim it in the name of the One True Living God.'"

Phelps said that the as the organization grows in size, it has become "overwhelmingly apparent" that the movement needs a leader without the stain of the Baptist Church scandal. "I am simply letting a younger version of me take the reins. I'll still be out there fighting. I'll still be raising the funds necessary. And I'll still continue to speak on what I believe is true and right in the eyes of our Lord. But Sarcalogos Lex will have a new leader by the end of this month." Phelps refused to comment on who his successor may be.

While Governor Roland has easily cranked his agenda items through the Legislature and onto his desk for signing, he is finding it challenging to garner Democratic support. Democratic Caucus Leader Elliot McCarthy has been a steady hand for the depleted party which has solidified itself as the minority party in perhaps the most conservative region in the nation with a 31 vote gap with the Republican Party. Roland is looking to those 31 votes to ensure that no part of his platform falls through the gaps. Thus far, he has navigated the regional waters successfully. In a recent poll conducted by the Jefferson City News Tribune, Governor Roland enjoys a 51% approval rating amongst registered voters who voted in the gubernatorial election.

While McCarthy leads the Democratic interests in the Jefferson City, most political pundits agree that Tara Anne Bridges, daughter of one of the region's most popular Governors, is the strongest voice for Democrats in the region. With quite a few thousand followers on her Twitter feed, many of the youngest voters in the region have connected with her. They see her as hip, cool, and one of their own. Tracey Rodgers, a nursing student at the University of Mississippi, stated to the News Tribune that "She's just now coming to her 30th birthday. Voters in my age group agree with her ideas for the most part. We respect the fact that she is trying to tap into our generation and appreciate that she's not afraid to be outspoken. Anything's better than one of the 'good ol' boys' like the one we have as Governor right now. That guys, what . . . 50? He's been a Senator for years and now he's Governor. We're tired of these career politicians."

Rodgers' comments come on the heels of a recent News Tribune that predicts a liberal tendency emerging within the voting-age population, especially in the youngest demographic.

In the 2010 elections, The Heartland had the worst voter turnout when comparing actual total voter turnout to total number of registered voters. While certain states, primarily Texas and Kansas, ranked in the mid-to-upper section of the 50 states, most of the states, notably Mississippi and Oklahoma, fell near the very bottom. In total, only 29% of registered voters in The Heartland went to the polls to make their voices heard. Those 29% elected 5 Republicans and 1 Democrat in the 5 major elections. Conservative leaders in the region speak to the numbers as a sign of weak name-recognition in the major elections, with two notable exceptions being the gubernatorial election and Ozark Senate Class III seat. Liberal voices point to education being the main factor the effects voter turnout.

Dr. Margaret Reid, Chair of Political Science at the University of Arkansas, spoke at the Education Reformers Convention in Houston, Texas in February. During herspeech, she pointed out that in her field of study, there is no larger influence than education. "One's education changes the perspective from which they are able to understand a variety of things, including political debates, policies, and ideologies", she said. "In a recent study conducted by political science doctoral students at the University of Arkansas which I oversaw directly, the findings showed that states that scored better in education saw a larger voter turnout. There was no more obvious an example of this being true than The Heartland." In the study, Kansas scored as the best state to receive a public education, coming in as the 7th state in the United States of America. Behind Kansas was Texas at number eight. However, half of the region scored in the bottom 10: Oklahoma (43), Arkansas (44), Mississippi (46), Louisiana (47). Reid hit the argument home when she said "The most poignant of all research showed this; The Heartland lost its smarts, and subsequently its liberals, when it lost the states to the north of Kansas and Missouri."

Three recent graduates of the University of Alabama are back home today after two harrowing weeks in prison in Thailand for defacing a portrait of the Thai king. Ryan Wilson, Jerry West, and Paul Wiley were accused of trying to remove a picture of King Bhumibol Adulyadej from a restaurant in Bangkok, damaging the picture in the process. Such an act, under Thai law, is considered criminal disrespect for the King. Wilson, West, and Wiley were immediately arrested.

The mothers of Wilson, West, and Wiley reached out to Governor Roland and Ozark Senators Allen and Sexton for help. After intense backroom negotations between the State Department, representatives of the Thai Government, the Governor and the Senators, the three young men were pardoned by the King and released into the custody of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.

Martha Wilson, mother of Ryan Wilson, praised the Governor and Senators Allen and Sexton for their help in obtain the release of the three men. "I was afraid the State Department would just let them rot. But Governor Roland, Senator Allen, and Senator Sexton went to bat for us and our boys, and now they're home. That's constituent service."

In protest of "big government interfering in the daily lives of Christians throughout the world," members of Sarcalogos Lex blocked dozens of election polls around the region. The members of the outspoken group clogged the lines and slowed the polling time down by anywhere from 30 minutes in some lesser-known locations to about 3 hours in major cities like Houston, Kansas City, and Birmingham.

While all polls stayed open until the voters in line by the closing time had a chance to cast their vote, Sarcalogos Lex members made certain to compound the problems of the voters as they slashed tires, cracked windows, and spray-painted the SL symbol on public buildings and spaces. Over 100 were arrested during the string of outlandish protests. The mayor of Birmingham Sawyer Gray called the protesters and their subsequent actions as "menaces to democracy and the welfare of our government system that has lasted since 1776." Birmingham had long been free from any Sarcalogos Lex activity. "Birmingham has been history's playground since the 1960s. We refuse to become return to the dark days of protest that we have overcome, and we refuse to allow this underground criminal band to grow in our city, our state, and our region."

The leader of Sarcalogos Lex, Head Marshal Devier Rosenthald, denounced the illegal activity that took place throughout The Heartland, especially in Birmingham. "The mission of Sarcalogos Lex has been compromised by demon-inspired ex-members who thought that they were fulfilling our organization's objectives. Rather, they have caused irreparable harm to our organization, our mission, and our future outreach opportunities. We apologize to the people of Birmingham, Houston, Kansas City, and the many other municipalities where our violence-free protests turned into hateful spites and actions."

Rosenthalnd also stated that the SL would be sending checks to three major cities that endured the most physical damage in the amount of $4,500,000 total.

Approximately 320,000 homes in the Fort Worth, Texas and surrounding areas are without their major power source, the Roscoe Wind Farm (RWF). RWF was shutdown by owner and operator E.ON Climate & Renewables based out of Düsseldorf, Germany. E.ON chief executive officer Johann Teyssen issued a press release via a communications company in Fort Worth. In the press release, Teyssen stated that

"Due to a contractual stall with Fort Worth authorities, E.ON and its shareholders have been forced to shutdown the facility on what we hope to be a temporary basis. E.ON was promised a round of incentives to invest over $1 billion USD on the Roscoe Wind Farm project and, while some of those incentives have been made available, the largest of which -- a tax abatement program to be established by the Fort Worth City Manager, Mayor, and Council - has not. We are looking forward to ongoing negotiations with these assemblies. Until such time that these issues may be resolved, the Roscoe Wind Farm will remain closed."

Fort Worth City Manager Dale McGinnis denied the claims by the Global Titans 50 index company and issued a simple statement which read "It is my and the other government officials in the city of Fort Worth's hope to have the claims made by E.ON chief executive Johann Teyssen resolved by the end of the week." Roscoe Wind Farm is the largest one of its kind in the world and delivers power to approximately 350,000 homes throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Republicans: 66
Democrats: 34
Tie-Breaker: Held by Lieutenant Governor Windsor
Overall: +1 DNC, and Tie-Breaking Vote from GOP to DNC.

By issue of Executive Order 02, newly reelected Governor Matthias Roland has called The Heartland National Guard to active duty under the command of Major General David Sopraseuth, the Adjutant General of The Heartland.

Approximately 290,000 households are still without power due to the sudden shutdown of the Roscoe Wind Farm by E.ON Climate & Renewables, a Germany-based Global Titans 50 index company. A spokesperson for E.ON chief executive officer Johann Teyssen said that the shutdown was eminent due to the "inaction of the Fort Worth governing authorities to keep their contractual obligations to E.ON's shareholders."

Fort Worth City Manager Dale McGinnis continues to deny the claim by the industry giant. "The city of Fort Worth has responsibly maintained its contractual commitments to E.ON Climate & Renewables and its subsidiaries. We will continue to work with E.ON, Governor Roland, and other Heartland authorities to resolve this matter swiftly in order to fully restore power to the half-million plus persons who are currently living in the dark due to the irresponsible shutdown of the Roscoe Wind Farm."

The National Guard has been called in to maintain peace and order and to provide resources to the needy, elderly, and otherwise incapacitated.

After an emergency meeting with Governor Matthias Roland, Fort Worth City Manager Dale McGinnis met with the mayor and city council to enact the tax abatement program called for by E.ON's corporate management. While seen as a heavy-handed tactic by the Germany-based Fortune 50 Index company, the maneuver worked. A Jefferson City insider stated that E.ON CEO "Johann Teyssen didn't have to lift a finger in the United States and his company walks away with tax-free land for the next decade-plus."

Governor Matthias Roland sought to have power restored by Teyssen while an agreement could be reached between the city of Fort Worth and the energy giant, but no deal ever came to fruition.

Meanwhile, over 400 individual land owners whose land the Roscoe Wind Farm is built upon are still awaiting E.ON to make good on its contractual agreement to pay out its profit percentage. The only contractual barrier that would force E.ON to pay out the monies guaranteed by the contract was the tax abatement program which E.ON hurdled when it turned off power to the city and the surrounding area. Now, it is uncertain as to when the land owners will reap the benefits of signing the rights to their land over to the powerhouse E.ON.

The Senior Senator from the Ozarks is well known around Washington D.C. and at home as a loose canon. It's a reputation he's earned for his short-tempered comments and overall irritability. His rash behavior in the Senate had earned him positive reviews among his base, but Independents and Democrats see him as an unstable leader whose ability to reach compromise is next to zero. Until . . . now.

"Well Mr. President I'd like to know where this intelligence came from. What the hell on Gods Green Earth made you think that starting world war three in the middle east would bring about 'security' for America, for the region? Right now Iran is pounding the Israelis, without American help. It boggles my mind why we would help the Iraqi's, but not the Israelis. Mr. President Jews, Christians, and Muslims are dieing in the streets of Tel Aviv. The Persian Gulf is a Charlie Foxtrot all the while spiking gasoline prices at $4.10. Mr. President the American People demand answers, please respond."

Now, even his base see him as a rather unstable leader whose rush-to-attack reputation has earned him a walk down the green mile to his own execution as a U.S. Senator.

Just one day after letting loose on President Lyakhov via press statements, Senator Allen announced that he would be stepping down as Senator of the Ozarks at the end of his current term. While he announced that he was stepping down to fully focus on his remaining goals, many speculate that the Republican National Committee spoke privately to Johnny Joe about his antics in the Capitol and announced to him its intention to primary him. This, as has been reported, caused Allen to announce his impending retirement from the U.S.

Juan "El Abogado" Valdez Reyes has been the American counterpart to Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez for over 7 years. Costilla Sánchez has led the infamous Gulf Cartel (or Cártel del Golfo in Mexico) since 2003. A major part of its business route runs through The Heartland under the guidance and leadership of "El Abogado."

Valdez Reyes has faced criminal charges under federal law once, serving a 6-year sentence on serious drug-related charges. Later, he was sentenced by regional court for his involvement in the murder of Lyle Testaverde, an 18 year old male who refused to pay for his induction into the Gulf Cartel thereby compromising the organization's vow of silence. While it is believed that Testaverde was gunned down by Valdez Reyes himself, Miguel Vargas Lemus claimed responsibility and was sentence accordingly.

Today, Valdez Reyes is freely running his organization from a port city in Louisiana, though the exact location is not fully known. He was recently released by virtue of double jeopardy within the regional court system. After first declaring a mistrial, the prosecution sought a second trial for sodomy and murder of Oscar Florenza, a former Gulf Cartel agent-turned-regional government informant. The second trial ultimately found Valdez Reyes guilty of all charges and, under HRT 031 Three Strikes Criminal Justice Act, was sentenced to life in a maximum security Heartland prison facility.

That is, until the major provision of HRT 031 were overturned by the Supreme Court of The Heartland. In her decision, Associate Justice Kathleen Bainbridge wrote "The idea of discretionary sentencing has been the cornerstone of our nation's judicial system since its inception. The law in question gives justices of the court neither proper discretion nor appropriate decision-making authority . . . . It is the opinion of this court that any legislative sentencing scheme should provide the sentencer to take into account the character and record of an individual defendant. The provisions of HRT 031 do not meet this requirement and are thus eliminated from record."

Valdez Reyes is the highest profile case that the court's opinion has affected as it forced a retrial for proper verdict. As double jeopardy was enacted -- a third trial for the same crime is impermissible -- Valdez Reyes was released without claims against him.

A recent poll of Heartland voters shows that Heartlanders overwhelmingly support the President of the United States and the measures he recently took in Iran to disable that nation's nuclear defense system. Close to 53% of those polled say that the President was right in his decision and that it was a move "necessary to secure America and its allies."

Senator Alex Toledo of the Ozarks recently spoke out in favor of President Lyakhov's move. "Based on the character I know that Vassily Lyakhov has and the information he has provided to the nation and the Congress, I believe he took the actions that he needed to. I pray daily for peace, but we must not put peace above the need for security", said the Senator. His words express the opinion of many Heartlanders.

While oil prices have risen dramatically throughout the country, many within The Heartland are reaping benefits from that rise. The oil producers, companies, and personnel are seeing revenues increase while they try to compete in a fluctuating market. As oil prices have increased in the foreign markets, American oil companies are seeing themselves compete in the aggressive market due to being able to provide lower purchase prices, cheaper facilities, and more secure deliveries than what their turmoil-surrounded Middle Eastern counterparts can. What might be destroying a global region is only helping The Heartland. While oil-giants (and Texas-based) Shell and ExxonMobil may be hurting globally, their American inventories are blossoming. As Hunt Oil executive Ray Hunt so eloquently stated "Too bad, so sad for those so-called energy giants. Business is booming. We are invested in America and are seeing every day the advantages of what being American born and bred means!"