Thread: South Padre Island / Precinct One Corruption & Border Wa

No matter who wins the election, the cartels will still be here.

MIGUEL ALEMÃ

Once Upon A Time In Mexico . . .

. . . Coming to America near you.

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FBI: Kidnappings spike in Texas-Mexico border town
April 30, 2010 - 9:26 AM
The Associated Press


McALLEN (AP) — Kidnappings in this Texas border community nearly quadrupled last fiscal year compared to 2008, and most were connected to the drug trade, the local FBI chief told state lawmakers Thursday.

Forty-two people were kidnapped in the McAllen area between October 2008 and September 2009, compared with just 11 the year before. Sixteen are still missing, and many kidnappings likely went unreported, said John Johnson, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's office in McAllen.

"Fiscal '09 was off the charts," Johnson said during a legislative hearing aimed at evaluating Texas' border security.

Lawmakers, meeting just seven miles from Mexico in McAllen, wanted to gather information about how state funding was — or wasn't — working to help keep the border safe.

Nearly nine hours of testimony and debate failed to yield consensus on what constitutes spillover drug-trafficking violence along the Texas-Mexico border, but law enforcement agencies agreed on one thing: They need more resources.

Murders and kidnappings linked to the drug trade have been reported in several border communities in Texas, while some agencies have been stretched by routine drug smuggling, local and state law enforcement told lawmakers.

Although experts said it was difficult to asses how much violence in Texas is linked to crimes in Mexico, Johnson said drug trafficking was clearly connected to the spike in local kidnappings.

Many are never reported, he said. And even in the known cases, the FBI has been able to collect DNA samples from relatives of barely half of the victims.

"Some of these victims, no one is lining up to or knocking on the door to find them," he said.

Investigators haven't been able to pinpoint what caused the jump, but Johnson said such crimes tend to be cyclical.

Johnson's testimony was a jarring conclusion to the hearing of two Texas House committees charged with examining the state's border security efforts.

The lawmakers took testimony from a long list of scheduled speakers. Small town police chiefs said drug-related crimes stretched their resources, while federal law enforcement agencies said they wanted to continue to improve cooperation with state and local agencies.

But perhaps the most surprising testimony came from Patricia Martinez, a drug counselor from nearby Pharr who said her 20-year-old son and his father were kidnapped in May 2009 while having dinner at a restaurant in Reynosa, Mexico.

She hasn't heard from either her son or her ex-husband since. Both are U.S. citizens, and her son — whom she said was an excellent student with no ties to drugs — lived with her in Pharr.

Martinez said she reported the crime to the U.S. consulate, her local police department, the FBI and the Reynosa mayor, but to no avail.

She said the crimes often go unreported because victims' families fear that kidnappers will kill their victims if they are reported to authorities.

Friends told her not to go public, but after waiting nearly a year with no word, "really I am going crazy, I think I wait enough," she tearfully said.

Steve McCraw, executive director of the Department of Public Safety, said he did not have numbers that showed a definitive spike in kidnappings or extortion along the border. He also did not have statistics to distinguish between innocent victims and those with ties to drug trafficking.

"Mexican cartel-related activity impacts every region in Texas," McCraw said.

Rep. Veronica Gonzales, chairwoman of the House Committee on Border & Intergovernmental Affairs, said it was sometime difficult to asses whether violence in Texas was linked to crimes in Mexico.

"Not a day goes by that we don't hear spillover or crossover and now we hear bleed-over," Gonzales said. "It's hard to know for sure what is true, what is hype."
http://www.spislandbreeze.com/articles/ ... texas.html

Several federal legislators are awaiting response from the Federal Aviation Administration to see if it will give authorization to allow unmanned drones to fly along the Texas-Mexico border.

Republican senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn sent a letter to FAA Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt on Thursday urging him to open airspace over the border that would let the U.S. Customs and Border Protection fly unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVS, as part of an effort to secure the nation’s border.

Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar sent a similar letter earlier this year requesting CBP deploy an unmanned drone that would fly over the South Texas area from Corpus Christi to Brownsville to El Paso.

The senators letter follows an announcement made earlier in the week by Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, that the drones would soon be flying through Texas.

In order for the CBP drones or UAVs to fly over the area, the FAA "has to go in and carve out" air space for such aircraft, Napolitano said.

As of Friday, Hutchison had not received word from Babbitt, said Drew Brandewie, deputy press secretary for Hutchison, but added staffs are working to schedule a meeting between the two.

Getting a drone to assist with border protection is something U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, has been working on for several months, said Cuellar, who serves as chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism.

Cuellar has been working with the FAA and CBP and is requesting officials with both agencies expedite the process of getting the FAA to issue the certificate of authorization that is needed for the drone’s operation. He is also working on setting up a meeting with the administrators of both agencies to make the drone deployment happen.

"I have sent a separate letter asking CBP to ask FAA to prioritize this request…because of the border violence we have, I will ask CBP to turn the request into an emergency request which therefore moves it up the list," Cuellar said.

The drone to be used in the border region — from Brownsville to El Paso — is currently being manufactured and Cuellar expects a drone to be flying along the Texas-Mexico border by fall. If the one under construction is not ready by the fall, Cuellar will request another one be flown in until the one sought is ready.

"We have been looking at this drone situation for a while and I think this will provide eyes in the sky that we don’t have right now," Cuellar said. "I think this will be a great asset to our border patrol and our federal officials to make sure we see what is happening here at the border."

Although U.S. Rep. Solomon C. Ortiz, D-Texas, did not contribute to the letter, he supports any efforts to get a drone to fly over the U.S.-Mexico border, said Jose Borjon, spokesman for Ortiz.

"He believes these drones are used in fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and he said they are good methods for collecting information and surveillance and he is supportive of them," Borjon said.

Earlier this year Texas officials requested that CBP considering using the unmanned drones for border security operations. However, DHS officials said it was unable to move on the request because it needs FAA approval.

In the letter by Hutchison and Cornyn, the senators present a summary of the ongoing violence in Mexico brought on by the drug cartels. They cite a report by the Mexican government in which it states more the 3,365 lives were lost from January to March as the result of drug-related violence. The letter also mentions the bloodshed of recent gun battles, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Juarez.

Earlier this week, gunman stormed a Ciudad Juarez bar, dragged eight people out and shot them dead. Near Miguel Aleman, across from Roma, three people were found dead. All had been shot.
http://www.spislandbreeze.com/articles/ ... along.html

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Commercial fishermen uncertain as oil spill cleanup continues
May 1, 2010 - 5:36 AM
MICHAEL NEWSOM / The Sun Herald


PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. — Commercial fisherman Richard Bosarge was in a somber mood Friday as he unloaded the final sacks of oysters from his boat.

Bosarge was one of many at the Pass Christian harbor for the last day of oyster season, which some feared could be their last if the Gulf oil spill is as bad as it appears. Emotions included sadness, helplessness and uncertainty, and anger over the prospect of the Gulf Coast fishing industry being severely damaged by the man-made disaster.

Before the oil spill, South Mississippi's commercial fisherman had dealt with high fuel prices, foreign competition, and recovering from Hurricane Katrina for the last several years. It's a tough career, but Bosarge said he doesn't want to do anything else for a living.

"I would rather work ... and kill myself doing this — shrimping, fishing and oystering," Bosarge said.

Bosarge, who looked down soberly at the final sack of oysters on the pier Friday afternoon, said his 15-year-old son had been counting down the days until school is over, so he could join him on his boat, The Royster, but for now, it was all up in the air as the oil slick approached. Although he doesn't know if he'll be able to continue fishing for a living, Bosarge said Friday he had concerns bigger than his finances.

"The monetary thing really isn't even an issue right now," Bosarge said. "It's more heartbreaking than anything. There ain't any money in the world that can compensate us for the loss of our (way of life)."

But money was on the minds of some. Besides considering volunteering, or getting in on some of the cleanup work, some oystermen were also seeking information about compensation for lost wages. T.J. Hinton, of Gulfport, said he had heard lawyers were down at the Pass harbor talking to fishermen on Friday, but he didn't see them. He wanted to hear what they had to say about a class-action lawsuit against the responsible parties, several of which have been filed in Gulf Coast states, including Mississippi.

"If (the Gulf) turns into a desert, a lot of people will be out of work," Hinton said. "It's just unbelievable."

Just a few feet from where the day's catch was being unloaded, Darlene Kimball, owner of Kimball's Seafood, had a continuous stream of oystermen and hungry customers coming in and out of her office trailer at the Harbor on Friday. As she watched the last truckload of seafood for the season pull out of the harbor, she said she was looking for a miracle.

"Right now, I'm praying," Kimball said. "I hope I'll be OK. It's a scary thought, but I don't know what my future holds ... I'm hoping it doesn't happen."

Kimball is the fourth generation of a family that has been dealings seafood in the Pass since the 1930s. She's spent enough time on the docks to know the repercussions the oil spill could bring.

"It's going to hurt a lot of families," Kimball said. "There are a lot of people that have been doing this all their lives from Venice, La., to here. It's all they know. This is their life and it hits them in the heart."

The Pass economy, which was dealt a substantial blow from Hurricane Katrina five years ago, could suffer substantial losses, Kimball said.

If the oystermen and other fishermen aren't working at the harbor, then all the local businesses they patronize, including tackle shops, gas stations and others, will likely see some losses, she said. Many at the harbor said they were also worried about local packing plants suffering.

There was also fear among South Mississippians that restaurants would stop doing business with local seafood companies. But Scott Weinberg, President of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association and owner of Gulfport's Blow Fly Inn, said in a news release Friday local eateries would continue to support local seafood producers.

"We have weathered a lot of storms, and we will weather this one as well," Weinberg said. "Our restaurateurs are reflective of our communities along the coast — we are resilient and we will find a way to overcome this event."

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http://www.spislandbreeze.com/articles/ ... n-oil.html

[mobile edition]

Commercial fishermen uncertain as oil spill cleanup continues
May 1, 2010 - 5:36 AM
MICHAEL NEWSOM / The Sun Herald


PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. — Commercial fisherman Richard Bosarge was in a somber mood Friday as he unloaded the final sacks of oysters from his boat.

Bosarge was one of many at the Pass Christian harbor for the last day of oyster season, which some feared could be their last if the Gulf oil spill is as bad as it appears. Emotions included sadness, helplessness and uncertainty, and anger over the prospect of the Gulf Coast fishing industry being severely damaged by the man-made disaster.

Before the oil spill, South Mississippi's commercial fisherman had dealt with high fuel prices, foreign competition, and recovering from Hurricane Katrina for the last several years. It's a tough career, but Bosarge said he doesn't want to do anything else for a living.

"I would rather work ... and kill myself doing this — shrimping, fishing and oystering," Bosarge said.

Bosarge, who looked down soberly at the final sack of oysters on the pier Friday afternoon, said his 15-year-old son had been counting down the days until school is over, so he could join him on his boat, The Royster, but for now, it was all up in the air as the oil slick approached. Although he doesn't know if he'll be able to continue fishing for a living, Bosarge said Friday he had concerns bigger than his finances.

"The monetary thing really isn't even an issue right now," Bosarge said. "It's more heartbreaking than anything. There ain't any money in the world that can compensate us for the loss of our (way of life)."

But money was on the minds of some. Besides considering volunteering, or getting in on some of the cleanup work, some oystermen were also seeking information about compensation for lost wages. T.J. Hinton, of Gulfport, said he had heard lawyers were down at the Pass harbor talking to fishermen on Friday, but he didn't see them. He wanted to hear what they had to say about a class-action lawsuit against the responsible parties, several of which have been filed in Gulf Coast states, including Mississippi.

"If (the Gulf) turns into a desert, a lot of people will be out of work," Hinton said. "It's just unbelievable."

Just a few feet from where the day's catch was being unloaded, Darlene Kimball, owner of Kimball's Seafood, had a continuous stream of oystermen and hungry customers coming in and out of her office trailer at the Harbor on Friday. As she watched the last truckload of seafood for the season pull out of the harbor, she said she was looking for a miracle.

"Right now, I'm praying," Kimball said. "I hope I'll be OK. It's a scary thought, but I don't know what my future holds ... I'm hoping it doesn't happen."

Kimball is the fourth generation of a family that has been dealings seafood in the Pass since the 1930s. She's spent enough time on the docks to know the repercussions the oil spill could bring.

"It's going to hurt a lot of families," Kimball said. "There are a lot of people that have been doing this all their lives from Venice, La., to here. It's all they know. This is their life and it hits them in the heart."

The Pass economy, which was dealt a substantial blow from Hurricane Katrina five years ago, could suffer substantial losses, Kimball said.

If the oystermen and other fishermen aren't working at the harbor, then all the local businesses they patronize, including tackle shops, gas stations and others, will likely see some losses, she said. Many at the harbor said they were also worried about local packing plants suffering.

There was also fear among South Mississippians that restaurants would stop doing business with local seafood companies. But Scott Weinberg, President of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association and owner of Gulfport's Blow Fly Inn, said in a news release Friday local eateries would continue to support local seafood producers.

"We have weathered a lot of storms, and we will weather this one as well," Weinberg said. "Our restaurateurs are reflective of our communities along the coast — we are resilient and we will find a way to overcome this event."

View this page in desktop browser mode.
» Click here for more stories [mobileÂ*edition] »

http://www.spislandbreeze.com/articles/ ... n-oil.html

With all of the external pressures being exerted against the American Citizen worker, do we really need illegal immigrants for a cheap source of labor--when our economy collapses and we become as disfunctional as Mexico, it will be the result of the greedy over the good of our Nation.

Does anyone else feel ripped off?

Nixon wanted to bomb the communists and then openned the door with the Chinese to give away American Citizen jobs to the Communists.

South Padre Island is the microcosm: Profits over people, cheap labor over a strong community, greedy politics of the selfish "me first" and lack of understanding for a commitment to integrety and honor--these you cannot buy with your drug money.